THE  FACE  OF 


»  \.\JT.     Jx. 


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THE     FACE     OF 

MANCHURIA 

KOREA 
8?    RUSSIAN 
TURKESTAN 


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I  '  • ' 


I 


1 


I  WII-.KI.AM-  -     Im\]|; 


THE  FACE  OF 

MANCHURIA 
KOREA 
RUSSIAN 

TURKESTAN 

WRITTEN   AND   ILLUSTRATED  WITH 
XXIV  PLATES  BY  E.  G.  KEMP,  F.R.S.G.S. 


AUTHOR   OF    "THE   FACE   OF  CHINA" 


NEW    YORK 

DUFFIELD  &  COMPANY 

191  I 


All  rights   reserved 


DEDICATED   TO 

MY    THREE    SISTERS 


PREFACE 

I  ESS  than  three  years  ago  I  made  a  journey  with 
a  friend,  Miss  MacDougall,  across  the  Chinese 
^  Empire  from  north-east  to  south-west,  and 
while  my  interests  in  the  changes  going  on  there  was 
intensified,  a  profound  anxiety  took  possession  of  my 
mind  as  to  the  effect  these  changes  would  produce  in 
the  national  life.  The  European  and  other  Powers 
who  had  wrangled  over  the  possibility  of  commercial 
and  political  advantages  to  be  obtained  from  the 
Chinese  Government  (after  the  Boxer  troubles)  have 
withdrawn  to  a  certain  extent,  but  like  snarling  dogs 
dragged  from  their  prey,  they  still  keep  covetous  eyes 
upon  it,  and  both  Russia  and  Japan  continue  steadily 
but  silently  to  strengthen  their  hold  upon  its  borders. 
These  borders  are  Manchuria  and  Korea,  and  it  is  in 
this  direction  that  fresh  developments  must  be  ex- 
pected. I  read  all  the  available  literature  bearing  on 
the  subject,  but  so  rapidly  had  the  changes  occurred 
that  books  were  already  out  of  date,  and  they  failed  to 
make  me  see  the  country  as  it  now  is. 

As  an  instance  of  this,  let  me  quote  Whigham's 
(correspondent  to  the  Morning  ^Posi)  "  Manchuria  and 
Korea,"  published  in   1904.1     "  One  cannot  seriously 

1  Whigham's  "  Manchuria  and  Korea,"  pp.  117-119,  153,  49. 

vij 


Pi~eface 

believe  that  Japan  would  ever  invade  Manchuria, 
unless,  indeed,  she  be  caught  by  the  madness  with 
which  the  gods  first  visit  those  whom  they  wish  to 
destroy  ;  but  if  ever  her  army  did  occupy  Moukden  she 
would  only  find  another  Moscow  in  the  ancient  capital 
of  the  Manchus,  and  when  all  is  said  and  done  what 
would  be  the  use  ?  She  could  never  hope  to  hold  the 
Liao  valley  for  ever  against  Russia  ;  Great  Britain 
might  just  as  well  try  to  hold  Normandy  again  against 
France.  .  .  .  The  conclusion  is  that  as  far  as  Manchuria 
is  concerned,  Russia  is  even  now  more  or  less  invul- 
nerable," &c.  &c.  This  was  published  the  year  the 
Russo-Japanese  war  took  place. 

Taking  heart  of  grace  by  the  kind  reception  of  my 
former  book  on  China,  I  determined  to  visit  Manchuria 
and  Korea,  and  to  try  and  describe  them  by  pen  and 
brush  as  I  had  described  the  Face  of  China.  My 
former  fellow-traveller  was  willing  and  eager  to  repeat 
our  wanderings,  so  we  set  out  on  February  ist  of  this 
year,  1910,  via  the  Trans-Siberian  Railway.  Much 
has  been  written  by  various  travellers  about  this  part 
of  the  journey,  but  the  questions  that  I  wanted 
answered  are  mostly  ignored  by  them.  Baedeker  is 
wholly  inadequate.  I  begin  therefore  my  tale  from 
the  point  where  we  crossed  the  border  into  Manchuria, 
so  as  to  give  more  continuity  to  the  narrative  and  avoid 
repetition.  On  our  return  journey  across  Siberia  I 
give  details  which  may  possibly  be  of  service  to  those 
who  intend  travelling  on  that  line,  and  also  the  general 
information  about  the  condition  of  the  country  at  the 

viij 


Preface 

present  time,  which  I  have  gathered  from  reliable 
sources  since  my  return. 

When  we  started  for  our  four  months'  tour  we  had 
no  intention  of  extending  it  to  Turkestan,  but  finding 
that  a  railway  line  connected  it  with  the  one  on  which 
we  were  travelling,  and  that  it  could  be  reached  in 
three  days  from  Samara  on  the  Trans-Siberian  line, 
we  decided  to  include  it  in  our  programme  and  so 
vary  the  journey  home.  It  proved  to  be  of  ex- 
traordinary artistic  interest,  not  to  mention  its  his- 
torical importance  both  as  the  centre  of  Moslem 
learning  and  of  Russian  experiments  in  civilizing 
Central  Asia.  Russia  looks  with  a  jealous  eye  upon 
the  traveller,  and  a  special  permit  has  to  be  obtained 
in  order  to  travel  through  Turkestan,  even  on  the 
railway  line.  Not  only  is  it  necessary  to  apply  for 
this  through  the  British  Embassy  at  St.  Petersburg, 
but  several  weeks  elapse  before  a  notification  can  be 
received  that  the  Russian  Government  graciously 
permits  the  traveller  to  cross  Turkestan.  We  were 
informed  also  that  when  all  these  formalities  had  been 
duly  observed,  the  traveller  was  still  liable  to  be  stopped 
by  the  police  on  the  ground  that  they  (the  police)  had 
not  received  official  notice  of  the  traveller's  coming, 
and  in  that  case  he  would  be  ordered  to  return  by  the 
way  he  came.  Despite  this  discouraging  information 
we  determined  to  try  our  luck,  and  in  due  course  re- 
ceived a  "note  verbale  "  from  the  Ministry  of  Foreign 
Affairs  at  St.  Petersburg,  addressed  to  the  British 
Embassy,  permitting  us  to  visit  Tashkent,  Samarkand, 


Preface 

and  Bokhara.  In  point  of  fact  our  difficulty  proved 
to  be  not  that  of  getting  ///,  but  that  of  getting  out  of 
Russian  territory,  as  will  be  seen  later  on. 

Despite  the  difficulties,  Russian  Turkestan  is  well 
worth  visiting,  and  had  the  scope  of  this  book  per- 
mitted, I  should  like  to  have  added  further  illustra- 
tions of  Samarkand.  All  the  illustrations  suffer  from 
lack  of  time,  and  the  earlier  ones  from  the  inclemency 
of  the  weather,  but  they  are  an  attempt  to  show  as 
accurately  as  possible  what  the  countries  and  people 
are  like,  and  especially  to  give  correct  colouring,  in 
this  way  supplementing  the  photographs  with  which 
many  previous  works  on  these  countries  have  been 
illustrated. 

We  were  warned  before  undertaking  the  journey 
that  great  dangers  would  lie  in  our  path.  I  should 
indeed  regret  depriving  the  arm-chair  critic  of  the 
pleasure  of  threatening  us  with  tigers,  brigands,  Hun 
Hutzes,  and  the  lowest  class  of  Japanese  ruffian,  or  of 
his  special  satisfaction  in  shaking  his  head  over  the 
follies  of  those  who  run  into  unnecessary  danger  ;  but 
in  the  interest  of  other  travellers  I  must  confess  that 
we  met  none  of  these  things,  though  doubtless  it  would 
have  added  to  the  piquancy  of  the  narrative  to  have 
done  so.  The  only  striped  beasts  we  saw  in  the  forests 
were  chipmunks,  and  the  only  people  who  were  to 
be  feared  were  the  monks  in  a  certain  Buddhist 
monastery. 

I  cannot  omit  a  word  of  thanks  to  the  many 
missionaries  who  helped  to  make  our  journey  such  a 


Preface 

pleasant  one,  and  without  whose  kindly  aid  we  should 
have  missed  a  large  part  of  its  interest.  The  Medical 
Mission  work  of  the  Irish  and  Scotch  Presbyterians  in 
Manchuria,  and  the  various  branches  of  work  of 
American  and  Australian  Presbyterians  in  Korea  have 
been  briefly  described  in  this  book,  but  their  profound 
value  can  only  be  appreciated  by  those  who  have  come 
in  personal  contact  with  them.  In  the  troublous 
times  of  the  last  decade  they  have  proved  their  worth, 
and  I  only  hope  that  the  ominous  cloud  still  over- 
hanging the  land  may  be  dispersed  and  a  time  of 
prosperous  growth  succeed  the  trials  which  they  have 
triumphantly  endured. 

As  I  write  these  words  the  June  number  of  World's 
Work  falls  into  my  hands,  and  I  read  what  Japanese 
writers  have  to  say  upon  the  Manchurian  question. 
Adachi  Kinnosuke  pointsout  that,  despite  theimmense 
financial  strain  of  the  war  with  Russia,  Japan  has 
trebled  her  army  and  strengthened  her  navy  to  an 
equal  extent  during  the  few  years  that  have  elapsed 
since  that  struggle,  which  cost  her  the  lives  of  300,000 
men.  The  reason  which  he  assigns  for  these  military 
preparations  is  the  necessity  of  being  able  to  face  China. 
At  the  close  of  the  Russo-Japanese  war  Baron  Komura 
tried  to  induce  the  Chinese  Government  to  open 
Manchuria  to  Japanese  colonists,  but  as  Manchuria  is 
imperatively  needed  by  China  for  her  own  surplus  pop- 
ulation, which  are  pouring  into  it  daily  by  thousands 
in  the  early  spring,  it  was  only  natural  that  she  should 
resent  the  proposal,  and  refuse  to  grant  the  desired 


Preface 

permission.  Hence  the  present  attitude  of  Japan. 
"If  you  do  not  allow  our  people  to  colonise  Manchuria 
peacefully,  there  is  only  one  thing  for  us  to  do  :  to 
enter  it  anyhow."  Yet  the  density  of  population  in 
Japan  at  the  present  time  is  considerably  less  than  that 
of  Great  Britain,  of  Belgium,  of  Holland,  of  Saxony, 
of  Alsace  Lorraine,  of  Hesse,  of  Baden  ;  not  to 
mention  other  non-European  countries.  The  new 
Russo-Japanese  Alliance  is  concerned  mainly  with 
their  railways,  and  Japan  insists  on  China  relin- 
quishing her  project  of  a  railway  into  Mongolia. 
Now  it  is  an  open  secret  that  Russia  is  to  have  a 
railway  direcl  from  Irkutsk  to  Peking — the  inference 
is  obvious.  The  situation  is  an  interesting  one  ;  but 
I  have  neither  the  knowledge  nor  the  impertinence 
requisite  for  prophesying  the  course  of  events.  My 
object  will  be  attained  if  I  can  in  any  way  succeed  in 
describing  the  condition  of  affairs  at  the  present 
moment. 

The  latest  step  in  advance  is    the  annexation  of 
Korea,  the  highroad  into  Manchuria. 

August  26,  1910. 


xij 


CONTENTS 

Preface 

PART    I 
The  Face  of  Manchuria 


V1J 


I.   Hulan  3 

II.   Moukden  1 1 

III.  Hsin  Muntun  34 

IV.  Liao  Yang  42 
V.   A  Visit  to  the  Thousand  Peaks     5 1 

VI.   From   Moukden  to   Korea  58 

XIV.   Ashiho  141 

(For  narrative  purposes  included  in  Part  II.) 

PART    II 
The  Face  of  Korea 

VII.  Pyong  Yang  67 

VIII.   Sunday  at  Pyong  Yang  74 

xiij 


The   Face   of  Manchwia 

IX.   The  History  of  Roman  Catho- 
licism in  Korea  84 
X.   Seoul  93 
XI.    Fusan  107 
XII.   The   Diamond   Mountains  113 

XIII.  Seoul  to   Dalny  134 

XIV.  Ashiho  141 

PART    III 
The   Face  of  Russian   Turkestan 

XV.   Through   Siberia  151 

XVI.   Into  Turkestan  171 

XVII.   Tashkent  178 

XVIII.   The   Home  of  Tamerlane  188 

XIX.   Samarkand  201 

XX.    Bokhara  220 

XXI.   Through    the  Caucasus  230 

Index  241 

Map                                                        To  fa  ce  page  248 


XIV 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


Tamerlane's  Tomb 

Frontispiece 

Foo  Ling  Tomb 

To  face  page   1 2 

Imperial  Tomb,   Moukden 

28 

Manchu  Ladies'  Greeting 

36 

Korean  Gate,  Liao  Yang 

42 

Blind  Buddhist  Nun 

49 

Buddhist  Monastery- 

53 

Korean  in   Mourning 

69 

Coy  Korean  Maiden 

76 

Korean  Woman 

94 

Empress's  Tomb 

102 

Korean  Graves 

103 

(A)  Fusan  ;   (B)    Korean   Village 

108 

(A)    Devil   Posts  ;   (B)   "  Ten 

Parts 

Imperfe<5t 

One" 

118 

North   Gate,  Seoul 

l3l 

Mohammedan  Mosque 

H5 

Prayer  at  a  Saint's  Tomb 

184 

Tamerlane's  Tomb  (Interior) 

190 

Samarkand 

21 1 

Hazreti  Shah  Zindeh 

2I5 

Mosque  at  Bokhara 

226 

Baku 

231 

(A)   Tiflis ;   (B)  A  Persian 

233 

Mount  Kasbec 

236 

PART  I 
The   Face  of  Manchuria 


THE  FACE  OF  MANCHURIA 

CHAPTER    I 

Hulan 

THERE  is  always  a  thrill  of  expectation  for  the 
genuine  traveller  on  crossing  the  frontier  into 
an  unknown  country,  which  even  the  sight 
of  the  custom-house  fails  to  dispel.  In  the  case  of 
Manchuria  we  were  fortunate  enough  to  escape  the 
custom-house  altogether,  as  having  no  registered 
luggage  we  only  received  a  perfunctory  visit  from  the 
politest  of  officials  in  our  railway  carriage  at  about 
1 1  p.m.  While  all  the  rest  of  the  travellers  had  to 
turn  out  and  spend  an  hour  or  more  in  an  offensive- 
smelling  office,  we  comfortably  went  to  bed  and  awoke 
next  morning  to  find  a  glorious,  dazzling  sun  shining 
on  the  snowy  plain  between  Manchuria  (town)  and 
our  terminus,  Kharbin.  The  railway  station  is  in  the 
Russian  town,  which  has  been  built  up  round  it,  and 
still  looks  painfully  new  :  it  lies  on  the  banks  of  the 
great  Sungari  River,  at  the  junction  of  the  Trans- 
Siberian  line  with  the  line  to  Moukden  and  Peking. 
After  a  night's  rest  in  the  Russian  hotel  we  started 

3 


The  Face  of  Manchuria  ch.  i 

for  Hulan,  a  Chinese  town  about  sixteen  miles  to  the 
north  of  Kharbin. 

No  Chinese  vehicle  is  allowed  in  the  Russian  quarter, 
so  we  were  obliged  to  take  a  droshky  to  the  Chinese 
town,  about  a  half  mile  distant,  where  our  belongings 
were  transferred  to  the  sleigh,  which  was  the  only 
possible  vehicle  for  crossing  the  open  country.  It  was 
of  a  most  primitive  description,  a  sort  of  raft  on  runners, 
with  a  little  straw  on  it  covered  with  a  rug.  Our 
luggage  was  somewhat  insecurely  corded  on,  and  we 
seated  ourselves  in  the  midst  of  it,  only  too  soon  to 
become  acutely  aware  of  the  extraordinary  number  of 
corners  which  it  possessed.  Between  the  shafts,  which 
consisted  of  two  sapling  birches  denuded  of  their 
branches,  was  a  shaggy  pony,  and  another  little  pony 
ran  alongside  to  give  what  further  assistance  he  could, 
both  animals  having  a  miscellaneous  harness  of  bits  of 
old  cord,  which  looked  incapable  of  enduring  any  strain, 
though  the  event  proved  quite  the  contrary.  We 
passed  through  the  old  town,  which  was  gay  with  New 
Year  decorations,  the  doors  all  bright  with  tutelary 
deities,  freshly  pasted  up.  Already  the  streets  were 
filled  with  traffic,  heavily-laden  waggons  of  corn  drawn 
by  teams  varying  from  four  to  eight,  stacks  of  straw  on 
rafts,  fitted  with  runners  similar  to  those  of  the  one  we 
were  on,  and  all  the  various  equipages  likely  to  befound 
in  such  a  nondescript  place.  The  drollest  of  all  was 
a  little  wooden  house  on  runners,  with  a  tall  chimney, 
which  we  supposed  to  be  on  its  way  to  some  other 
permanent  position.     This,  however,  proved  to  be  the 

4 


ch.  i  Hulan 

bus  plying  daily  between  Kharbin  and  Hulan,  the  place 
of  our  destination.  It  contained  eleven  passengers 
inside,  and  a  stove.  Outside  was  a  heap  of  bedding 
on  a  wooden  box  tied  on  a  narrow  ledge  at  the  back, 
upon  which  lounged  another  passenger. 

It  was  desperately  cold  and  almost  impossible  to 
keep  one's  extremities  warm,  but  the  Chinese  cope 
successfully  with  this  difficulty.  Nearly  every  one 
wears  ear  muffs  (some  of  them  beautifully  embroidered 
and  fur-lined),  or  big  turned-up  collars  as  high  as 
their  heads,  or  caps  coming  over  the  ears,  and  at  the 
other  extremity  large  felt  boots.  Passing  through 
the  busy  town  we  plunged  down  into  the  river-bed 
of  the  Sungari,  a  most  perilous  descent,  as  the  sledges 
slither  away  and  sometimes  turn  completely  round, 
unless  the  driver  dexterously  contrives  to  push  them 
into  a  convenient  rut.  We  passed  one  heavy  cart 
that  had  turned  completely  on  to  its  side,  while  yet 
another  was  being  dug  out  of  a  rut  with  a  pickaxe. 
The  ponies  show  their  mettle,  and  though  they  have 
the  worst  of  tempers,  and  not  infrequently  give  a 
sudden  bite  to  the  passers-by,  they  work  with  a  will 
to  drag  their  often  too  heavy  loads  over  the  difficult 
ground.  We  passed  the  landing-stage,  whence  in 
summer  the  steamers  ply  daily  up  to  Hulan. 

After  struggling  up  the  farther  bank  we  passed  over 
a  bumpy  plain  for  several  hours,  with  various  incidents 
to  mark  the  road.  Our  umbrellas  soon  disappeared, 
then  a  collision  sent  a  basket  flying.  Sometimes  we 
were  in  imminent  peril  as  some  passing  vehicle  would 

5 


The  Face  of  Manchuria  ch.  i 

skid  violently  ;  once  I  thought  escape  was  impossible, 
as  a  large  cart  crashed  into  our  side,  missing  my  arm 
by  a  hair's-breadth,  but  we  strove — I  hope  not  un- 
successfully— to  imitate  the  Chinese  imperturbability 
of  appearance.  During  one  of  our  halts  for  repairs 
we  were  overtaken  by  the  above-mentioned  bus,  and, 
behold  !  there  was  the  Chinaman  still  on  the  back  of 
it,  trying  to  take  a  nap.  We  passed  and  repassed  the 
vehicle,  and  he  was  always  in  the  acl  of  trying  to  sleep 
in  some  different  attitude,  but  apparently  never  suc- 
ceeding— the  only  Chinaman  I  have  ever  met  who 
failed  to  sleep  in  any  attitude  whatever  ! 

These  plains  are  very  fertile,  and  as  soon  as  spring 
comes  there  is  a  steady  stream  of  workers  to  be  seen 
arriving  from  China  proper,  especially  from  the  pro- 
vince of  Shantung,  to  which  they  return  when  the 
harvest  is  ended.  Many  come  to  accumulate  enough 
money  during  eight  or  nine  years  to  buy  land  and 
bring  their  families  up  to  live  here.  In  facl:  we  met 
some  emigrants  already  arriving  with  all  their  scanty 
possessions.  The  Chinese  Government  is  now  waking 
up  to  the  importance  of  colonisation  on  the  borders 
of  the  empire,  in  order  to  check  the  sure  and  steady 
pressure  of  the  Russians  from  without. 

As  we  approached  Hulan  we  came  to  another  river 
to  be  crossed,  but  not  nearly  so  large  a  one  as  the 
Sungari.  Few  foreigners  come  to  such  an  out-of-the- 
way  corner  of  the  empire,  so  people  came  hurrying 
out  to  see  us,  calling  to  one  another,  "  Come  and 
see  the  shaggy  women  !  "     "  These  shaggy  women 


ch.  i  Hulan 

are  tip-top  !  "  The  expression  "  shaggy  "  seems  to 
have  been  first  applied  to  the  Russians,  who  wear 
their  hair  somewhat  loose  and  long,  but  it  is  now  the 
common  designation  for  foreigners  of  all  nationalities. 

We  travelled  slowly,  though  occasionally  our  little 
ponies  would  break  into  a  trot  ;  then  the  driver  would 
leap  into  the  air,  fold  his  legs  beneath  him  and  alight 
seated  cross-legged  on  the  cart,  with  a  solid  thud,  like 
some  gigantic  frog.  Hulan  is  quite  a  Chinese  town, 
and  indeed  Manchuria  is  rapidly  becoming  populated 
with  the  Chinese,  for  whom  its  fertile  plains  offer  an 
excellent  home.  The  old  Manchu  towns  are  in  a 
decadent  condition,  and  can  only  hope  for  a  fresh 
lease  of  life  by  new  blood  being  introduced  from  the 
south.  No  wonder  the  Japanese  cast  covetous  eyes 
on  the  land  where  crops  produce  an  increase  of  100 
per  cent.  The  crops  are  mainly  wheat  and  beans, 
both  of  which  are  being  largely  exported  to  Britain. 
Great  quantities  of  oil  are  obtained  from  the  beans, 
and  the  refuse  is  made  into  large  flat  cakes,  nearly  as 
big  as  cart  wheels,  which  form  excellent  fuel.  The 
price  of  beans  in  the  north  is  three  times  as  great  as 
it  was  a  year  ago,  and  the  people  in  Manchuria  are 
on  the  whole  more  prosperous  than  elsewhere  in  the 
Chinese  Empire. 

On  Sunday  morning  we  attended  service  in  the 
Mission  Hall,  and  received  a  warm  welcome  from  the 
people,  to  whom  we  were  formally  presented  at  the 
conclusion  of  the  service.  The  Mission  is  still  in  its 
infancy,   but   promises  well,  and  when  the  medical 

7 


The  Face  of  Manchuria  ch.  i 

side  is  started  will  make  more  rapid  progress.  The 
next  day  "the  faithful  of  Hulan  "  sent  us  gifts  of 
cakes,  and  asked  when  we  were  leaving,  that  they 
might  speed  us  on  our  way.  We  left  too  early,  how- 
ever, to  go  and  thank  them  in  person,  as  we  had  a 
four  hours'  sleigh  ride  in  order  to  catch  the  express 
at  Kharbin,  which  only  goes  twice  a  week  direct,  to 
Moukden.  Unfortunately  we  had  mistaken  the  day, 
and  we  doubly  regretted  that  we  had  not  waited  to 
return  the  courtesies  shown  to  us. 

The  first  section  of  the  railway  line  running  south- 
wards is  still  in  the  hands  of  Russia,  and  one's  atten- 
tion is  continually  arrested  by  the  large  numbers  of 
soldiers  who  are  kept  all  along  the  line  to  guard  it. 
Kwan-cheng-tze  is  the  terminus  of  the  Russian  line  : 
it  is  not  quite  half-way  from  Kharbin  to  Moukden. 
The  Japanese  call  their  station  at  Kwan-cheng-tze 
Changchun,  which  is  rather  puzzling  to  the  traveller 
who  is  unaware  that  the  place  boasts  two  names. 
All  passengers  have  to  change  trains  here. 

We  had  a  leisurely  journey  across  the  plains,  and 
arrived  at  Kwan-cheng-tze  about  8.30,  our  halting- 
place  for  the  night.  It  boasts  a  brand  new  Japanese 
hotel  just  opposite  the  station,  which  was  radiantly 
clean  and  fresh,  such  a  contrast  to  the  Russian  one  at 
Kharbin.  There  was  no  lack  of  attention,  for  the 
Chinese  boys  flew  to  do  our  bidding,  and  fetched  us 
tea  unbidden.  In  the  morning  we  started  at  8.30  on 
the  Japanese  section  of  the  line.  The  cars  are  long 
open  corridor  ones,  and  kept  admirably  clean,  but  one 


ch.  i  Hulan 

misses  the  privacy  so  dear  to  the  Englishman.  All 
day  long  we  slowly  wended  our  way  southward,  stop- 
ping at  many  stations  of  a  mushroom  growth  :  it 
requires  no  imagination  to  fancy  yourself  back  in 
Europe  as  far  as  the  houses  are  concerned,  but  the 
people  are  quite  out  of  keeping  with  them.  The 
train  had  a  sonorous  bell  attached  to  the  engine, 
absolutely  like  that  of  a  church,  which  heralded 
our  approach  to  the  stations.  At  almost  every  station 
there  is  a  little  house  where  hot  water  is  to  be  ob- 
tained ;  the  moment  the  train  stops  out  dash  numbers 
of  Chinese,  carrying  their  teapots,  which  they  get 
replenished.  We  had  no  need  to  bestir  ourselves,  as 
the  conductor  was  most  attentive  and  kept  us  well 
supplied.  The  trains  always  have  Japanese  military 
officials  on  board,  who  usually  go  only  short  stages, 
being  replaced  by  others  whenever  they  get  out.  The 
trains  are  very  crowded,  and  in  the  third  class  they 
are  packed  like  monkeys  in  cages  :  some  of  the  car- 
riages have  three  shelves  one  above  the  other,  on 
which  the  passengers  lie,  and  as  they  are  lighted  at 
the  top  by  a  single  dim  candle,  at  night  the  top  man 
certainly  has  the  best  of  it. 

At  6  p.m.  we  steamed  into  Moukden  punctual  to 
the  minute,  and  found  a  deafening  crowd  ready  to 
lay  hold  of  the  passengers.  We  were  greeted  by  a 
man  possessing  a  few  words  of  English,  and  able  to 
understand  where  we  wanted  to  go,  so  we  were  glad 
to  entrust  ourselves  to  his  care.  He  even  satisfied 
any  curiosity  we  might  have  had  as  to  the  personal 

9 


The  Face  of  Mci7ichuria  ch.  i 

appearance  of  our  host,  whose  main  feature,  judging 
from  the  description,  was  a  huge  moustache.  The 
drive  was  thrilling,  and  the  five  miles  were  none  too 
long  ;  it  was  the  New  Year  festival,  and  all  sorts  of 
things  were  to  be  seen  in  the  thronged  streets.  Bril- 
liant moonlight  illuminated  the  city  from  above,  and 
lanterns  and  fireworks  lit  it  up  intermittently  from 
within.  A  short  drive  brought  us  near  a  thoroughly 
Burmese  dagoba  of  old  times,  and  then  through  a 
horrible  iron  archway  of  the  worst  type  of  modern 
times.  Farther  on  we  passed  through  the  gloomy  gate- 
way in  the  big  city  wall,  and  found  an  almost  impene- 
trable throng  of  sightseers.  Our  driver  had  no  longer 
a  chance  of  pointing  out  interesting  buildings,  and 
giving  us  details  of  his  faith,  &c,  with  which  he  had 
varied  the  earlier  part  of  the  drive,  for  he  was  obliged 
to  keep  up  a  monotonous  shout  of  "  hech  !  hech  ! 
hech  !  "  only  varied  by  what  sounded  like  "  hurry 
on,  hurry  on  !  "  a  much  needed  injunction  to  his 
steed.  After  about  an  hour's  drive  we  reached  the 
group  of  Mission  buildings,  hospitals,  schools,  and 
dwelling-houses  situated  on  the  river  bank,  which  is 
radiant  with  lotus  blossom  in  the  summer-time.  But 
I  must  not  begin  describing  the  charms  of  Moukden 
at  the  end  of  a  chapter  :  it  demands  one  to  itself.  As 
the  relation  of  Manchuria  to  China  is  but  little  known, 
it  may  be  of  interest  to  the  reader  to  have  the  brief 
account  which  forms  the  beginning  of  the  next 
chapter,  but  after  this  warning  it  is  easy  for  those 
who  are  not  interested  to  skip  the  next  four  pages. 


CHAPTER    II 

Moukden 

THE  story  of  the  rise  of  the  Manchu  dynasty 
is  like  a  romance,  and  no  parallel  to  it  is 
to  be  found  in  the  pages  of  history.  In  the 
middle  of  the  sixteenth  century  there  was  no  Manchu 
Empire,  and  the  Manchus  themselves  were  wild,  un- 
cultured barbarians  without  any  written  language, 
living  in  caves  which  they  hollowed  in  the  earth,  and 
engaged  in  constant  warfare  with  other  tribes  living 
like  themselves  in  the  northern  part  of  that  country 
which  we  call  Manchuria,  the  central  and  southern 
part  being  inhabited  by  the  Chinese.  In  the  year 
1559  Noorhachu  was  born,  with  the  prospect  of  be- 
coming ruler  over  six  little  hamlets  ;  by  the  year  1 6 1 6 
he  had  conquered  all  the  adjacent  tribes  and  founded 
the  Manchu  kingdom,  receiving  from  the  "  great 
Ministers  "  the  title  of  Ying  Ming — "  brave  and  illus- 
trious." Noorhachu's  military  conquests  and  singular 
political  sagacity  alarmed  the  Chinese,  whose  frequent 
attacks  and  whose  murder  of  his  father  and  grand- 
father had  roused  his  deep-seated  enmity.  He  pre- 
pared an  army  of  picked  men,  and  drew  up  a  paper 
of  "  seven  hates,"  addressed  to  the  Emperor  of  China. 


The   Face  of  Ma?ichuria         ch.  ii 

Instead  of  despatching  it  to  the  Emperor,  he  addressed 
it  to  Heaven,  burning  the  document  with  full  sacri- 
ficial rites,  after  which  he  started  his  campaign  (i 6 1 7) 
by  attacking  the  Chinese  in  the  territory  east  of 
Moukden.  In  the  midst  of  this  campaign  he  was 
recalled  to  his  capital,  Hingking,  by  the  news  that  a 
Chinese  army  of  200,000  men  was  approaching.  On 
reaching  Moukden  this  force  divided  into  four  armies 
of  equal  size  :  they  were  all  in  turn  defeated  by  the 
smaller  forces  of  Noorhachu  within  the  space  of  five 
days,  the  number  of  killed  being  computed  at  45,000. 
After  one  month's  rest  he  led  his  victorious  troops  to 
the  conquest  of  Moukden  and  Liao  Yang,  and  at  the 
latter  place  he  built  a  palace  for  himself  and  made  it 
the  seat  of  government. 

Noorhachu, oras  hewas  afterwards  styled,  Taidsoo  = 
the  Great  Ancestor,  was  far-sighted  enough  to  recog- 
nise that  his  only  means  of  holding  the  large  territory 
which  he  had  won  was  by  wise  and  good  administra- 
tion, and  in  this  he  was  successful.  In  1625  he  retired 
to  Moukden  and  made  it  his  capital  ;  in  the  following 
year  he  died  there,  after  an  unsuccessful  campaign 
against  the  Chinese.  They  were  led  by  a  determined 
general  who  brought  (for  the  first  time)  "terrific 
western  cannon  "  against  him,  which  had  been  cast 
by  Jesuit  missionaries. 

Noorhachu  was  buried  in  the  Foo  Ling  tomb,  east 
of  Moukden,  a  fitting  resting-place  for  the  great 
founder  of  the  Manchu  dynasty.  It  was  during  his 
son's  reign  that  the  Manchu  dynasty  was  firmly  placed 


-1^ 

v/^WHH 

^v*» 

/ 

Mk  ^  ^  ■ 

1 

FOO   LING   TOMB,    MONICDEN 


ch.  ii  Moukden 

upon  the  throne  of  China  in  the  person  of  Noorhachu's 
grandson,  a  boy  of  five  years  old  (1644).  His  father 
had  been  summoned  by  the  Chinese  to  aid  them 
against  several  hordes  of  rebels  who  had  devastated 
the  empire,  and  he  sent  a  powerful  army  led  by  his 
brother.  The  Manchus,  after  defeating  the  rebel 
army,  marched  on  Peking,  where  Li  Dsuchung,  the 
most  noted  rebel  leader,  had  entrenched  himself,  and 
where  the  last  of  the  Ming  Emperors  had  in  conse- 
quence committed  suicide.  Li  Dsuchung  had  indeed 
proclaimed  himself  Emperor  in  his  stead,  but  after  a 
reign  of  one  day  he  fled  from  the  city  at  the  approach 
of  the  Manchus,  was  pursued  by  them,  and  severely 
defeated.  The  Manchu  general  at  once  sent  for  his 
nephew — the  ninth  son  of  the  reigning  monarch,  a 
child  of  five  yearsold — and  placed  him  upon  thethrone, 
himself  acting  as  Regent.  The  new  Emperor  received 
the  title  of  Ta-tsing,  or  "  Great  Pure  " — the  name  of 
the  present  dynasty.  The  Regent  was  an  able  ruler, 
and  soon  succeeded  in  dispersing  the  rebels  and  re- 
storing order  throughout  the  empire.  At  the  end  of 
six  monthscomparative  peace  had  been  established,  and 
the  Regent  issued  a  proclamation  that  all  who  sub- 
mitted to  the  new  rule  would  enjoy  the  same  rank, 
position,  and  emoluments,  as  they  had  done  under  the 
Ming  dynasty.1  He  ordered  sacrifices  to  be  offered  at 
the  Ming  tombs,  and  that  a  tomb  should  be  erected 

1  This  wise  policy  has  been  consistently  carried  out  ever  since.  In  1878 
there  was  not  a  single  Manchu  governor  or  viceroy  of  any  of  the  eighteen 
provinces  of  China.     (Ross,  p.  566.) 

J3 


"The  Face  of  Manchuria        ch.  ii 

for  the  last  of  them,  where  sacrifices  should  also  be 
offered.  He  postponed  the  enforcement  of  the  humili- 
ating law  requiring  change  of  dress,  the  shaving  of  the 
head,  and  wearing  of  the  queue  and  Manchu  cap,  and 
he  promised  those  who  complained  of  the  negle6t  of 
etiquette  and  music  among  officials,  that  proper  atten- 
tion should  be  given  to  this  matter  as  soon  as  war  was  at 
an  end.  It  is  an  interesting  fatt  that  the  Manchus 
should  afterwards  have  so  completely  succeeded  in  im- 
posing their  dress  on  the  Chinaman,  the  wearing  of  the 
queue  becoming  universal  ;  but  equally  interesting  is  it 
to  observe  that  the  women  never  could  be  madetoadopt 
it.  The  Manchu  woman's  dress  is  to  this  day  quite 
different  fromthe  Chinese,  from  itswonderful wing-like 
head-dress  down  to  its  largeshoes.  The  Chinese  woman 
refused  to  unbind  her  feet,  and  was  in  consequence 
never  admitted  within  the  precincts  of  the  palace  at 
Peking.  In  facl  it  may  be  stated  that  whereas  it  is 
impossible  to  distinguish  between  a  Chinaman  and  a 
Manchu,  there  is  no  part  of  a  Chinese  woman's  dress 
which  is  quite  the  same  as  a  Manchu's.  The  latter 
have  different  styles  of  arranging  their  hair  from  the 
spreadeagle  style,  so  commonly  seen  in  Peking,  to  the 
curious  one  shown  in  the  sketch  (see  next  chapter),  and 
also  wear  different  kinds  of  shoes — some  with  a  heel 
attached  to  the  centre  of  the  sole,  others  with  a  flat 
white  sole  some  two  inches  thick. 

The  foregoing  historical  details  are  mainly  drawn 
from  Dr.  Ross's  book,"The  Manchus,or  the  Reigning 
Dynasty  of  China."     The  uniqueness  of  the  story  lies 

14 


ch.  ii  Moukden 

in  the  fact  that  when  the  Manchus  conquered  China 
they  were  merely  a  horde  of  savages  attacking  a  highly 
educated  people,  infinitely  their  superiors  in  number 
and  resources.  They  not  only  conquered  them,  but 
for  centuries  they  imposed  their  yoke  upon  them, 
always  hated,  yet  always  obeyed.  As  the  centuries 
elapsed  the  Manchus  grew  weaker  in  their  own 
country,  and  never  fused  with  the  conquered  race. 
In  China  proper  they  still  live  apart  ;  walled  Manchu 
cities  may  be  found  within  many  walled  Chinese 
cities  ;  and  it  is  only  last  year  that  the  stringent  rule 
forbidding  Manchu  women  to  marry  Chinese  hus- 
bands has  been  rescinded.  It  needs  no  explanation 
to  see  why  the  opposite  rule  held  with  regard  to 
Manchu  men  marrying  Chinese  wives,  who,  ipso  facto, 
lost  their  nationality. 

I  have  tried  to  show  in  the  foregoing  pages  how 
the  Manchus  won  their  position  in  China,  and  also 
how  the  southern  part  of  Manchuria,  including 
Moukden,  was  originally  Chinese.  Those  who  wish 
to  wrest  it  from  China  are  seeking  to  take  an  integral 
part  of  the  empire.  No  one  who  visits  Moukden 
can  fail  to  see  that  it  is  a  thoroughly  Chinese  city, 
with  its  magnificent  walls  and  gateways,  and  the  big 
drum  tower  and  bell,  like  the  one  at  Peking.  Alas 
for  the  modern  utilitarian  spirit !  Already  they  are 
beginning  to  pull  down  the  fine  old  gateways,  and  to 
replace  the  inimitable  shop  fronts  with  shabby  imita- 
tions of  European  ones. 

It   was  cold   weather   when   we   walked   through 

15 


The  Face  of  Manchuria        ch.  ii 

those  fascinating  streets,  and  in  the  fish  shops  we  saw 
quantities  of  frozen  as  well  as  dried  comestibles. 
Game  was  plentiful  and  cheap,  and  the  frozen  deer 
had  quite  a  life-like  appearance,  standing  waiting  for 
a  customer.  In  one  street  nothing  but  boots  was 
being  sold,  and  the  fact  was  evident  from  afar,  for  out- 
side the  shops  were  hung  gaily  painted  effigies  of 
boots,  some  two  feet  in  length.  Above  some  shops 
were  dragons,  over  others  tigers,  or  the  phoenix,  or 
lotus  blossoms  all  painted  in  every  colour  of  the  rain- 
bow, and  hanging  from  them  signboards  bearing  the 
name  of  the  shopkeepers.  The  cash  shops  have 
almost  a  screen  of  strings  of  gigantic  cash  dependent 
from  the  eaves.  The  curio  shops  still  contain  things 
to  charm  the  soul  of  the  artist,  though  every  day  sees 
their  treasures  diminishing,  to  be  replaced  by  modern 
imitations.  The  glorious  jade  that  used  to  be  obtain- 
able is  scarcely  to  be  found,  and  the  bronzes  have 
mostly  been  carried  off  to  the  West  ;  still  one  hopes 
for  the  best,  and  carries  off  a  few  things,  which  if  not 
so  old  as  they  boast  to  be,  have  at  least  an  air  of 
antiquity  and  some  noble  suggestion  of  the  glory  of 
the  art  of  the  Ming  dynasty. 

Our  first  expedition  at  Moukden  was  naturally  to 
the  Foo  Ling  tombs  to  see  where  the  great  founder 
of  the  Manchu  dynasty  lies  buried.  It  is  disappoint- 
ing to  be  unable  to  gain  information  as  to  the  date 
of  the  tomb,  but  no  doubt  the  Manchus  adopted  the 
architecture  and  arts  of  China  at  an  early  stage  of 
their  conquest. 

16 


ch.  ii  Moukden 

It  was  by  no  means  a  promising  morning  when  we 
set  out,  but  our  time  was  limited,  and  we  had  per- 
suaded the  doctor  to  take  an  unwonted  holiday  from 
his  strenuous  labours,  so  delay  was  impossible.  Where 
no  guide-books  are  obtainable,  it  is  doubly  valuable  to 
have  kind  friends  willing  to  place  their  knowledge  at 
your  disposal,  and  doclors  are  skilful  at  smoothing 
other  things  as  well  as  pillows  ;  in  fact  I  can  give  no 
better  advice  to  travellers  than  to  try  and  secure  the 
help  of  the  medical  missionary — the  busier  the  better 
— as  a  guide  to  all  that  is  best  worth  seeing  in  the 
foreign  field.  Dr.  Young  had  kindly  procured  for  us 
the  requisite  permit  to  visit  the  tombs,  which  can 
only  be  obtained  through  the  British  Consul.  We 
set  out  in  a  weird  glass  chariot,  quite  suggestive  of 
Cinderella's  coach  ;  it  had  windows  the  whole  way 
round,  and  was  lined  with  mouse-coloured  plush,  not 
to  mention  a  fine  mirror  opposite  to  us.  We  had 
a  retainer  standing  on  a  step  behind,  who  spent  all 
his  time  jumping  on  and  off,  as  he  required  to  lead 
the  horse  round  every  corner  and  over  every  obstacle 
in  the  road.  Passing  outside  the  city  we  saw  an 
endless  stretch  of  graves  beyond  graves  ;  then  we 
came  to  a  beautiful  park-like  place  where  lilies  of  the 
valley  grow  thickly  in  the  spring — but  alas  !  people 
are  digging  them  up  so  ruthlessly,  that  it  is  to  be 
feared  there  will  soon  be  none  left.  The  trees  seemed 
to  grow  finer  and  finer  as  we  neared  the  tombs.  The 
wall  surrounding  them  has  been  damaged  by  its  occu- 
pation during  the  war,  when  the  Japanese  troops  took 

17  B 


The  Face  of  Manchuria         ch.  ii 

possession  and  were  attacked  by  the  Russians :  the 
wall  is  riddled  by  bullets,  but  it  is  astonishing  how 
comparatively  little  damage  had  been  done.  The 
gateway  is  beautifully  decorated  with  green  tiles,  and 
there  are  handsome  large  green  medallions  set  in  the 
Venetian  red  wall.  Inside  is  a  fine  avenue  of  hoary 
trees  leading  to  the  main  avenue,  in  which  are  some 
curious  stone  animals  ;  these  are  so  familiar  to  us  by 
photos  and  by  the  description  of  other  travellers,  that 
it  is  unnecessary  for  me  to  attempt  it.  They  form 
but  a  detail  of  the  fine  effect  which  is  created  by  the 
lofty  buildings  among  the  trees,  enclosed  within  a 
high  wall.  The  colouring  of  the  building — mellowed 
by  time — is  superb,  and  as  we  saw  it  under  the  fast 
falling  snow,  was  most  impressive. 

Some  difficulty  attended  our  entrance  despite  the 
permit,  but  the  doctor's  tact  overcame  it,  and  once 
inside  they  were  most  civil  to  us,  and  becarne  quite 
interested  when  I  began  to  sketch.  The  actual 
grave  of  Noorhachu,  or  Taidsoo,  the  grandfather  of  the 
first  Manchu  Emperor  of  China  (Ching  dynasty 
1 644),  is  a  lofty  mound  at  the  far  end  of  the  enclosure, 
and  surrounded  by  a  wall  of  its  own.  The  entrance 
by  which  the  ruling  Emperor  approaches  the  tomb 
is  very  fine,  a  handsomely  carved  marble  pailow  sur- 
rounded by  trees,  and  as  we  looked  at  the  whole 
group  of  buildings  from  the  top  of  the  wall,  along 
which  there  is  an  excellent  walk,  they  form  a  most 
impressive  sight.  The  trees  are  full  of  mistletoe,  but 
of  a  different  species  from  ours  ;  it  has  either  yellow 


ch.  ii  Moiikden 

or   scarlet   berries,   and   in  some  trees  we  saw  both 
varieties. 

There  are  many  interesting  monuments  in  Mouk- 
den,  but  I  venture  to  think  this  is  the  finest  of  all. 
The  design  is  copied  from  the  Ming  tombs  near 
Peking,  and  it  is  said  that  it  was  originally  planned 
to  carry  away  the  stone  animals  from  the  former  in 
order  to  use  them  for  the  Moukden  tombs.  This 
design  was  frustrated,  however,  for  a  descendant  of  the 
Mings  accidentally  heard  of  it,  whereupon  he  at  once 
went  and  mutilated  all  the  stone  beasts,  knocking  off 
the  ear  of  one  and  the  beard  from  another,  and  thereby 
rendering  them  useless.  While  this  explanation  is 
merely  a  tradition,  the  facl  remains.  The  Ming 
tombs,  forty  miles  north  of  Peking,  are  designed  on  a 
much  larger  scale  than  the  Moukden  ones,  and  cover 
a  distance  of  several  miles  in  length,  as  compared  with 
acres  in  the  case  of  the  latter.  In  my  opinion  this 
detracts  considerably  from  the  effecl,  as  only  one  detail 
can  be  properly  seen  at  a  time  ;  first  the  fine  marble 
pailow  of  five  gateways,  then  at  varying  distances  other 
gateways  (very  dilapidated),  then  a  square  tower 
containing  a  stone  tablet  on  a  tortoise,  then  a 
dromos  of  stone  animals  and  warriors  facing  one 
another,  with  a  considerable  space  between  each 
couple,  so  that  the  sixteen  couples  extend  over  a 
space  nearly  a  mile  in  length.  Between  them  and 
the  tombs  is  a  considerably  greater  distance,  and 
whereas  the  above-mentioned  memorials  are  all  in  a 
straight  line,  the  thirteen  tombs  are  arranged  in  a  fan 

l9 


The   Face  of  Manchuria        ch.  ii 

shape  at  the  base  of  the  hills  which  enclose  the  end 
of  the  valley. 

These  Peking  tombs  date  back  to  the  time  of  the 
Ming  dynasty,  which  ended  in  1644,  and  the  Mouk- 
den  tombs  are  considerably  later.  Their  whole  design 
is  taken  direcl  from  the  former,  and  there  is  no  attempt 
to  introduce  any  Manchu  characteristics.  The  reason 
for  this  is  obvious  ;  the  Manchus  were  emerging  from 
a  state  of  barbarism,  and  possessed  no  architecture 
worthy  of  the  name. 

After  the  tombs  the  most  interesting  building  at 
Moukden  is  the  palace,  for  which  also  an  order  has  to 
be  obtained  through  the  Consul.     We  visited  it  twice. 

This  palace  is  thoroughly  Chinese  in  appearance 
(I  failed  to  ascertain  its  date,  but  it  is  at  least  some 
centuries  old),  with  its  gorgeous  golden  roofs  and 
Venetian  red  walls.  The  facades  are  decorated  with 
coloured  tiles  of  great  beauty  and  infinite  variety  of 
detail  :  they  challenge  comparison  with  some  of  the 
majolica  most  highly  prized  in  Europe.  Under  the 
wide  eaves  there  are  finely  carved  dragons,  stretching 
their  sinuous  length  from  end  to  end.  The  buildings 
are  ranged  court  beyond  court,  with  a  fine  staircase 
leading  to  the  innermost  one  at  the  back.  But  the 
main  object  of  the  visitor  is  to  see  the  priceless  trea- 
sures locked  up  in  its  rooms,  for  they  contain  the  most 
valuable  possessions  of  the  Chinese  throne.  Unfor- 
tunately, when  admittance  has  been  obtained,  it  is  not 
easy  to  see  the  treasures,  for  they  are  carefully  wrapped 
up  in  cases,  or  stacked  in  hopeless  confusion  in  cup- 


ch.  ii  Moukden 

boards,  and  are  taken  out  one  by  one  and  laid  on  a 
table  for  the  visitor  to  see  them,  and  then  put  away 
again.  First  we  were  shown  imperial  robes,  studded 
with  pearls  and  jewels,  then  jade-mounted  swords. 
Jade  is  considered  by  the  Chinese  to  be  the  most  pre- 
cious of  all  stones,  and  it  is  one  of  the  hardest  to  cut. 
"  It  was  first  brought  toEnglandfrom  Spanish  America 
by  Sir  Walter  Raleigh,"  says  Bushnell  ("Chinese  Art," 
p.  134),  and  he  derived  the  word  "jade"  from  the 
Spanish  piedra  de  hijade  —  "stone  of  the  loins." 
Vessels  of  jade  are  always  used  in  the  Chinese  Imperial 
ritual  worship,  and  must  be  of  various  colours,  accord- 
ing to  the  particular  ceremonial  in  which  they  are 
employed. 

After  showing  us  these  things  the  officials  began  to 
lose  their  distrust,  and  invited  us  to  come  inside  the 
enclosure  and  peer  into  the  dark  cupboards,  whence 
we  picked  out  things  that  looked  particularly  attrac- 
tive, but  found  that  the  waning  light  prevented  our 
doing  justice  to  the  opportunity. 

It  was  on  our  second  visit  that  we  were  shown  the 
much  more  valuable  collection  of  bronzes  and  porce- 
lain, the  door  to  which  could  only  be  unlocked  after 
prolonged  effort,  and  in  the  presence  of  special  officials. 
Other  visitors  besides  ourselves  were  anxious  to  enter, 
but  a  special  permit  was  required,  and  they  were  sent 
away  disappointed.  The  porcelain  was  piled  in  end- 
less heaps  in  glass  cases,  which  probably  remained  un- 
opened for  decades,  and  there  was  no  attempt  at  classi- 
fication.    The  beauty  of  colour  and  design  could  be 


The  Face  of  Manchuria        ch.  ii 

but  imperfectly  realised,  as  sets  of  bowls  or  dishes 
were  all  piled  in  one  another,  so  as  to  occupy  the  least 
possible  space,  and  there  was  but  little  variety  in  pro- 
portion to  the  large  quantity  of  china  displayed.  A 
visit  to  the  British  Museum  gives  a  much  better  con- 
ception of  this  form  of  Chinese  art.  It  was  much  the 
same  case  with  the  bronzes,  and  it  was  even  more 
difficult  to  see  them  than  the  china.  There  was  one 
fine  example  of  the  "  gold  splash,"  which  is  so  well 
represented  at  the  South  Kensington  Museum  in 
Mr.  Behren's  collection.  To  my  great  disappointment 
there  was  little  variety  of  design.  It  is  to  be  hoped 
that  the  Chinese  may  be  sufficiently  imbued  by  the 
modern  spirit  to  make  them  copy  (to  a  certain  extent) 
the  arrangement  of  our  museums,  so  that  the  art 
treasures  contained  in  the  palace  may  be  more  acces- 
sible to  visitors.  Outside  the  palace  were  the  curious 
fences  known  as  "  deer's  horns,"  which  are  also  to  be 
seen  at  the  great  tombs  and  outside  official  buildings. 
They  are  long  pieces  of  wood  set  at  right  angles  to 
one  another  as  closely  as  possible,  and  running  through 
a  long  heavy  beam.  The  lower  ends  of  the  cross 
pieces  are  heavy,  and  are  set  into  the  ground,  the 
upper  ones  taper  to  a  point  :  altogether  the  "  deer's 
horns  "  form  a  strong,  though  simple,  barrier.  They 
are  usually  painted  red. 

After  seeing  the  palace  we  visited  the  fine  church, 
built  by  the  native  Christians  after  the  destruction  of 
the  former  one  by  the  Boxers  in  1 800.  It  seats  several 
hundred  people,  and  has  a  native   pastor.     It    may 


ch.  ii  Moukde?i 

interest  readers  to  know  that  among  the  State  papers 
found  during  the  Russian  occupation  of  Moukden 
was  a  description  of  the  destruction  of  the  property  of 
the  Christians.  This  was  written  in  Manchu,  which 
is  quite  different  from  Chinese  writing,  and  bound  in 
imperial  yellow  silk,  enclosed  in  a  yellow  silk  box  and 
sent  to  Peking.  There  it  was  countersigned  by  the 
late  Emperor  and  late  Dowager  Empress, and  sent  back 
to  Moukden  to  be  placed  in  the  State  archives.  Could 
any  more  conclusive  proof  be  found  that  the  Boxer 
outrages  were  sanctioned  by  the  Court  at  Peking  ? 
We  were  privileged  to  see  this  interesting  historical 
document. 

At  the  time  of  the  Boxers  all  the  missionaries  in 
Manchuria  were  obliged  to  flee,  some  without  time 
to  take  even  necessary  clothing  with  them.  One  of 
the  most  popular  doclors  learnt  afterwards  that  the 
robbers  in  a  certain  village  had  planned  to  carry  him 
off  in  order  to  save  him  from  the  Boxers  !  It  is  im- 
possible to  overestimate  the  influence  of  the  medical 
missionary, and  no  mission  field  has  been  more  favoured 
in  this  respecl:  than  Manchuria.  The  medical  mission 
work  was  started  at  Moukden  in  1882  by  Dr.  Christie, 
who  has  steadily  built  up  the  work  there,  and  whose 
new  hospital  is  the  model  for  what  such  institutions 
should  be.  Despite  the  prejudices  of  the  people,  the 
work  has  steadily  grown.  The  renown  of  the  foreign 
doclor  has  spread  for  hundreds  of  miles,  and  the 
message  which  is  nearest  to  his  heart  has  been  carried 
into  remote  villages  in  the  Long  White  Mountains  by 

23 


The  Face  of  Manchuria        ch.  ii 

patients  who  return  from  the  hospital  not  only  cured, 
but  also  imbued  with  the  missionary  spirit  which  has 
brought  a  new  life  to  them.  The  resped  which  is 
felt  for  this  work  is  shown  in  no  way  more  clearly  than 
in  the  fact  that  when  the  hospital  was  obliged  to  be  left 
for  ten  months  during  the  war  between  China  and 
Japan,  the  buildings  with  their  contents  were  left 
absolutely  unharmed. 

Not  so  fortunate,  however,  was  the  hospital  during 
the  Boxer  time,  for  all  the  buildings  were  destroyed 
by  fire,  and  when  they  might  have  been  rebuilt, 
another  desolating  war  swept  over  the  country.  The 
missionaries  had  returned  and  had  their  hands  more 
than  full,  for  Moukden  was  the  refuge  to  which 
crowds  of  destitute  Chinese  were  driven.  No  less 
than  seventeen  refuges, containingsome  10,000  people, 
were  under  the  care  of  the  missionaries,  for  the 
officials  thankfully  recognised  their  efforts  and  co- 
operated with  them,  doing  similar  work  themselves. 
There  were  as  many  as  four  hospitals  being  carried 
on  at  the  same  time,  for  not  only  were  there  numbers 
of  wounded,  but  epidemics  of  smallpox  and  fever 
spread  among  the  refugees. 

When  at  last  the  time  came  for  building  the  new 
hospital,  the  money  granted  as  an  indemnity  for  the 
destruction  of  the  former  ones  by  the  Boxers  was 
wholly  inadequate,  for  the  price  of  everything  was 
more  than  quadrupled.  The  Chinese  were  not  slow 
to  show  their  sense  of  indebtedness  for  the  unstinted 
labours  on  their  behalf,  and  the  new  buildings,  owing 

24 


ch.  ii  Moukden 

to  their  generosity,  were  built  on  a  larger  scale  than 
before.  The  Japanese,  too,  came  forward  with  most 
generous  aid,  in  return  for  the  work  that  had  been 
done  for  their  wounded  during  the  war.  Marshal 
Oyama  sent  a  donation  of  about  £100  for  the  Red 
Cross  work,  and  ordered  all  the  wood  required  for 
the  buildings  to  be  sent  up  by  rail,  free  of  charge, 
from  Newchwang.  This  was  of  the  greatest  import- 
ance, as  there  was  no  seasoned  wood  to  be  obtained 
in  Moukden,  and  it  meant  a  saving  of  several  hundred 
pounds.  The  Viceroy  sent  a  gift  of  over  £600,  to 
which  he  added  another  £150  when  he  opened  the 
new  hospital.  Another  friend  carted  all  the  bricks 
and  tiles  ;  a  director  of  the  Chinese  railway  ordered 
all  the  requisite  Portland  cement  and  floor  tiles  to  be 
brought  up  free  of  charge  from  Tang  Shan  to  Hsin 
Muntun,  and  others  helped  in  various  ways.  No 
wonder  the  hospital  is  such  a  splendid  success,  when 
it  has  such  workers  and  such  friends  !  It  has  several 
wings  radiating  out  from  a  long  central  corridor,  with 
a  fine  operating  theatre  at  the  end.  There  is  an 
X-ray  apparatus  and  other  special  furnishings.1  There 
are  outbuildings  for  students,  &c,  a  laboratory  and 
class-rooms,  besides  the  preaching  hall,  where  service 
goes  on  daily. 

But  what,  it  may  be  asked,  is  the  staff  for  this  large 

1  When  it  was  made  known  at  the  opening  of  the  hospital  that  more 
furnishings  were  required,  many  gifts,  both  in  money  and  requisites,  were  at 
once  contributed,  while  two  merchants  told  the  docior  to  apply  to  them  for 
money  as  it  was  needed,  which  he  did  several  times  till  the  hospital  was 
completed. 

25 


The  Face  of  Manchuria        ch.  ii 

work  ?     The  surprising  answer  is  one  man  ;  only  last 

year  has  a  second  been  appointed,  to  give  a  part  of 

his  time  to  assisting  Dr.  Christie.      He  has,  of  course, 

trained  Chinese  assistants  to  help  him  in  the  work, 

and  very  efficient  some  of  them  are,  and  two  Chinese 

hospital   evangelists,  who   follow   up  the   cases,   but 

the  bulk  of  the  work  falls  on  himself.     What  would 

our  doctors  at  home  think  of  having  to  perform  ten 

operations  in  a  day,   after  handing  over  nine  minor 

ones  to  the  assistants  ?    But  that  was  the  case  the  day 

we  visited  the  hospital.    It  accommodates  1 1  o  patients, 

and  the  beds  do  not  lack  occupants.     The  attendance 

of  out-patients  is  frequently  200  or  300  per  morning, 

so  that  the  attendance  for  the  year  is  very  large,  last 

year  numbering  over  26,000.     After  the  recent  visit 

of  the  Naval  Commission  returning  from  Europe,  a 

request  came  for  medical  aid  for  200  men  with  badly 

frost-bitten  ears,  as  the  soldiers  are  not  allowed  to 

wear  ear-muffs  when  on  parade.      It  is  not  etiquette 

to  wear  ear-muffs  or  spectacles  when  speaking  to  any 

one,   and   the  curious  custom   is   now   coming  into 

fashion  of  touching  the  glasses  instead  of  removing 

them.     The  hospital  is  a  free  one,  but  poor  as  are 

many   of  the  patients,   few  of  the  in-patients  leave 

without  giving  an  offering,  and  many  out-patients  do 

the   same.      Some   of  the   beds   are   supported  from 

home,  and  it  only  requires  £5  per  annum  to  support 

one. 

It  will  be  seen  from  these  figures  how  requisite  it 

is  to  have  a  larger  staff,  and  to  undertake  (what  is  now 

26 


ch.  ii  Moukden 

being  planned)  a  training  college  for  the  Chinese. 
The  late  Viceroy  promised  a  yearly  sum  of  about 
£420  for  this  purpose,  but  as  he  has  been  replaced  by 
an  anti-foreign  Viceroy,  it  was  feared  that  his  promise 
would  not  be  ratified  by  his  successor.  Despite  the 
further  facl  that  the  new  buildings  are  not  yet  begun, 
when  the  matter  was  placed  before  him  he  promised 
to  consider  it,  and  shortly  afterwards  sent  word  that 
the  sum  had  been  duly  placed  in  the  bank  to  the 
credit  of  the  mission.  The  college  will  be  a  union 
one  of  the  Irish  Presbyterians  and  the  United  Free 
Church  of  Scotland,  and  may  draw  students  also  from 
the  Danish  Lutheran  stations,  the  only  other  mission- 
ary society  working  in  Manchuria.  As  there  are 
now  some  40,000  Christians  there  will  be  no  diffi- 
culty in  rinding  students,  though  it  will  not  be  entirely 
confined  to  Christians. 

The  course  will  be  a  thorough  one,  extending  over 
five  years  after  the  preliminary  examination,  and 
diplomas  will  be  given.  The  estimated  cost  of  the 
new  buildings  and  equipment  is  ^2500,  and  two 
houses  for  professors  £1500.  An  excellent  site  has 
already  been  obtained  through  the  generosity  of  the 
Chinese,  which  is  close  to  the  hospital. 

I  have  described  at  some  length  the  medical  mission 
here,  and  yet  have  done  scant  justice  to  it ;  of  the 
women's  work  a  word  must  also  be  said.  There  are 
two  fully  qualified  women  doctors,  and  their  hospital, 
withaccommodation  for  seventy  patients,  is  socrowded, 
that  a  new  wing  is  now  being  added.     They  do  a 

27 


The  Face  of  Manchuria         ch.  ii 

large  amount  of  work  in  the  people's  homes,  as  many 
of  the  ladies  are  not  to  be  reached  otherwise,  also 
they  do  work  as  far  as  time  allows  in  the  district 
round  Moukden.  When  it  is  known  that  the  doctor 
is  coming,  patients  crowd  to  see  her  ;  and  one  realises 
a  little  the  magnitude  of  the  work  when  one  chances 
to  see  the  missionary  come  back  utterly  worn  out  by 
a  two  days'  visitation,  having  interviewed  over  900 
patients  in  that  short  space  of  time. 

Women's  work  in  Moukden  is  not  merely  medical, 
but  also  educational.  Besides  the  training  of  Bible 
women  there  is  an  excellent  girls'  boarding  school, 
for  which  new  buildings  (badly  needed)  are  in  course 
of  erection.  Great  excitement  was  caused  in  the 
little  community  by  the  girls  being  taken,  for  the 
first  time  in  their  lives,  to  see  an  exhibition.  It  is 
rather  disappointing  to  the  traveller  who  thinks  he 
is  going  to  the  genuine  Far  East  to  find  it  invaded  by 
industrial  exhibitions  and  school  excursions,  but  alas, 
such  is  the  prosaic  fact. 

We  devoted  a  day  to  visiting  the  imperial  tombs 
on  the  north  of  the  city,  and  although  it  was  the  end 
of  March,  we  suffered  intensely  from  the  cold,  and  had 
not  the  advantage  of  going  in  a  glass  coach  as  we  did 
on  the  occasion  of  visiting  the  eastern  tombs.  The 
road  was  too  rough,  and  even  the  solid  droshky  built 
in  Odessa,  and  drawn  by  two  sturdy  beasts,  was 
severely  tested  by  the  frightful  ruts  into  which  we 
were  frequently  plunged.     The  Russian  driver  was 

a  capital,  good-tempered  fellow,  and  never  hesitated  to 

28 


IMPERIAL   TOME,    MUKDEN 


ch.  ii  Moukden 

drive  through  a  quagmire  or  up  a  bank  into  a 
ploughed  field  when  necessity  compelled.  After  three 
hours'  driving  we  approached  a  fine  bluff  crowned 
with  pine-trees,  among  which  gleamed  the  golden 
roofs  of  the  tombs,  so  we  knew  that  our  destination 
was  at  hand. 

"  Deer's  horns  "  palisades  enclosed  the  wood  at  the 
base  of  the  cliff,  and  we  turned  up  a  gully  to  the  left 
of  it.  The  road  soon  became  very  steep,  and  we  left 
the  carriage  to  climb  up  on  foot.  The  view  of  the 
entrance  gate  among  the  trees  as  seen  in  the 
accompanying  sketch,  was  peculiarly  striking  after  the 
long  drive  over  the  dun-coloured  plain,  for  as  yet  there 
was  no  sign  of  spring.  Passing  through  the  gateway 
we  soon  came  to  the  lofty  facade  of  the  main  en- 
closure, and  a  surly  old  guardian  of  the  place  came  to 
challenge  our  entry.  We  produced  the  permit,  which 
we  had  obtained  through  the  Consul,  and  were  kept 
a  long  time  waiting  before  we  were  allowed  to  enter, 
but  there  was  plenty  to  interest  us  in  the  scene.  It 
was  a  sort  of  square,  with  the  dwellings  of  the  officials 
on  either  side,  and  at  the  lower  end  a  small  temple 
facingthe  plain  below, down  to  which  were  longflights 
of  steps,  and  then  a  steep  paved  incline  the  same  width 
as  the  steps  and  with  balustrades  at  the  sides.  Lofty 
pine-trees  surrounded  the  place,  and  scattered  amongst 
them  at  the  bottom  were  stone  animals  and  figures. 
At  a  short  distance  from  the  stepswas  the  State  entrance 
gateway,  but  that  was  closed.  One  could  imagine 
how  fine  the  effect  would  be  to  see  a  gorgeous  royal 

29 


The  Face  of  Manchuria         ch.  ii 

procession  enter  the  gateway  from  the  plain,  cross  the 
short  level  space  under  the  avenue  of  pine-trees,  and 
mount  the  long  ascent  to  the  towering,  golden-roofed 
temples  behind  which  the  imperial  tomb  stands.  The 
colouring  in  the  brilliant  sunlight  looked  very  rich  as 
it  gleamed  among  the  dark  pine-trees. 

Before  leaving,  we  asked  the  man  who  had  showed 
us  round  if  we  could  have  some  hot  water  for  tea, 
but  he  said  there  was  none,  so  we  took  our  things 
outside,  and  sat  down  to  sketch  and  lunch.  At  first 
I  could  not  think  what  was  the  matter,  for  the  paint 
seemed  thoroughly  intraclable  ;  then  it  suddenly 
dawned  on  me  that  no  sooner  was  a  wet  wash  laid 
on  the  paper  than  it  froze.  Yet  this  was  the  last 
week  of  March,  and  midday,  with  the  sun  shining 
full  on  us.  Sketching  generally  seems  to  be  done 
under  difficulties,  and  this  trip  more  so  than  ever. 
It  will  be  understood  how  doubly  welcome  was  the 
sight  of  our  guide  returning  to  say  that  he  had  got 
hot  water  for  us,  and  he  took  away  our  teapot  and 
filled  it,  for  all  Chinese  understand  the  right  making 
of  tea.  As  we  were  drinking  it  shortly  afterwards, 
a  pitiable  figure  came  creeping  up  the  hill,  evidently 
suffering  acutely  from  asthma.  When  we  offered 
him  a  cup  of  hot  tea  a  look  of  intense  gratitude  shone 
in  his  eyes,  and  when  he  had  drunk  it,  still  speechless, 
he  drew  himself  up  and  made  a  European  military 
salute,  then  passed  slowly  on  to  the  gateway. 

As  we  returned  to  the  city  we  agreed  that  no  one 
should  fail  to  visit  the  tombs  who  comes  to  Moukden. 

3° 


ch.  ii  Moukden 

It  is  of  course  tiresome  to  have  to  get  permits,  and 
takes  a  little  time,  but  there  is  nothing  within  the 
city  that  is  half  so  picturesque  as  these  two  groups  of 
tombs,  to  each  of  which  a  whole  day  should  be  de- 
voted. Some  inscriptions  at  the  Foo  Ling  tomb,  we 
were  told,  are  quite  unique,  but  the  heavy  snow  when 
we  were  there  prevented  our  doing  justice  to  the  fine 
details  of  architecture. 

There  is  an  unpromising-looking  hotel  at  Moukden 
called  the  Astor  House,  but  Americans  who  stayed 
there  assured  us  it  was  quite  comfortable,  and  every 
one  passing  through  Moukden  ought  certainly  to  stop 
and  see  it,  especially  in  view  of  its  being  so  rapidly 
modernised.  The  old  temples  seem  to  be  in  a  state 
of  utter  disrepair,  and  the  most  interesting  one,  the 
Fox  Temple,  will  soon  cease  to  exist.  The  worship  of 
the  fox  is  very  common  in  Manchuria,  and  is  especially 
incumbent  upon  officials,  all  Mandarins  beingsupposed 
to  do  it,  as  the  fox  is  the  keeper  of  the  seals  of  office. 
Doolittle,  in  his  "  Social  Life  of  the  Chinese,"  says  : 
"  There  is  in  connection  with  some  of  the  principal 
civil  yamens  a  small  two-storied  building  devoted  to 
the  worship  of  his  Majesty,  Master  Reynard.  There 
is  no  image  or  picture  of  a  fox  to  be  worshipped, 
but  simply  an  imaginary  fox  somewhere.  Incense, 
candles,  and  wine  are  placed  upon  a  table  in  the  room 
of  the  second  storey  of  this  building,  and  before  this 
table  the  Mandarin  kneels  down  and  bows  his  head 
in  the  customary  manner,  as  an  act  of  reverence  to 
Reynard,    the    keeper   of   his   seals  of  office.     This 

31 


The  Face  of  Manchuria         ch.  ii 

sacrifice,  it  is  affirmed,  is  never  performed  by  deputy. 
The  Chinese  believe  the  official  seal  of  the  Mandarin, 
after  he  has  arrived  at  his  yamen,  to  be  in  the  keeping 
of  the  fox.  They  assert  with  great  earnestness,  and 
apparent  sincerity,  that  if  the  Mandarin  did  not 
worship  the  fox  on  his  arrival  at  his  residence,  his 
seal  of  office  would  shortly  disappear  in  some  inex- 
plicable way,  or  some  singular  and  strange  calamity 
would  certainly  befall  him  or  his  yamen." 

We  visited  the  Temple  of  Hell,  where  all  sorts  of 
horrible  penalties  are  vividly  depicted  in  stucco,  and 
these  are  more  terrible  as  indicating  what  Chinese 
punishments  have  been,  than  in  suggesting  what  may 
be  expected  in  the  future  world.  The  temples  seem 
to  be  little  frequented  by  the  people,  and  it  is  only  on 
certain  occasions  that  the  people  flock  to  them.  The 
ancestral  tablets  in  his  own  home  have  the  main  part 
of  a  Chinaman's  devotions. 

On  our  second  visit  to  Moukden  we  had  rather  a 
rickety  droshky,  and  were  amused  to  see  the  way  the 
driver  arranged  the  luggage.  The  Chinese  never  make 
any  difficulty  about  the  quantity,  for  fear  by  so  doing 
of  losing  a  fare.  The  man  therefore  entirely  filled  his 
footboard  with  luggage,  and  seated  himself  on  it  with 
a  large  bag  of  bedding  on  his  lap.  We  had  not  gone 
far  when  a  wheel  rolled  off  into  the  gutter,  and  we 
waited  some  time  for  it  to  be  put  on  again,  the  luggage 
meanwhile  being  deposited  in  the  road.  The  job  was 
not  satisfactorily  managed,  for  we  had  to  go  very,  very 
slowly,  and  have  the  wheel  continually  hammered  on. 

32 


ch.  ii  Moukden 

It  began  to  rain,  and  in  order  to  put  up  the  hood  most 
of  the  luggage  had  to  be  piled  on  the  top  of  ourselves, 
and  we  found  it,  to  say  the  least,  both  hot  and  heavy. 
At  last  our  driver  gave  up  in  despair,  and  by  means  of 
signs  made  us  understand  that  he  would  go  and  fetch 
another  vehicle.  When  he  returned  with  a  cart  the 
transfer  was  soon  made,  and  our  driver  with  great 
secrecy  explained  that  he  had  bargained  with  the  carter 
to  take  us  to  our  destination  for  a  certain  sum.  The 
difficulty  then  arose  as  to  how  we  were  to  pay  him, 
for  we  only  possessed  Japanese  and  Pekingese  money, 
which  he  eyed  with  distrust,  and  declined  to  accept. 
We  gave  him, however,arather  liberal  fare,and  pointed 
to  him  to  take  it  to  a  big  shop,  opposite  which  we 
were  standing.  There  he  was  reassured  as  to  its  value, 
and  came  back  smiling  ;  he  thrust  his  head  into  the 
cart  with  a  final  rejoinder  to  us  only  to  pay  the  right 
fare  to  the  carter,  evidently  feeling  that  we  were  liable 
to  spend  our  money  too  lavishly. 


33 


CHAPTER    III 

Hsin  Muntun 

FROM  Moukden  we  made  a  flying  visit  to  Peking 
and  into  Shansi,  but  as  that  does  not  come  with- 
in the  scope  of  this  book,  I  shall  take  up  my 
narrative  from  the  point  where  we  re-entered  Man- 
churia on  our  return  by  the  South  Manchurian  Rail- 
way. We  were  astonished  to  see  the  hundreds  of 
emigrants  going  north  :  every  train  was  packed  with 
them.  There  was  an  accident  on  the  line,  a  young 
lad  of  twenty  having  his  leg  badly  crushed  by  the  train 
preceding  ours.  First  aid  was  rendered  by  the  officials, 
who  are  trained  to  give  it,  and  by  means  of  a  chunk 
of  coal  and  some  cord  the  bleeding  was  stopped, 
the  ligature  being  so  tight  as  completely  to  stop  the 
circulation.  The  lad  was  put  on  a  big  sort  of  door 
and  placed  in  the  luggage  van  of  our  train,  and  the 
conductor  came  round  as  soon  as  we  had  started  again 
to  see  if  a  docl:or  was  aboard  to  give  further  aid.  Our 
party  provided  one,  and  there  were  all  necessary  requi- 
sites in  the  shape  of  bandages,  splints,  permanganate 
of  potash,  &c,  in  the  surgery  at  the  junction  farther 
up  the  line,  so  that  the  patient  was  made  as  comfort- 
able as  possible  when  he  arrived  there,  and  a  message 

34 


ch.  iii  Hsin  Muntun 

was  telegraphed  to  the  medical  mission  at  Hsin 
Muntun,  which  happened  to  be  both  his  and  also  our 
destination.  On  arrival  the  do6tor  and  assistants  were 
waiting,  and  the  young  man  was  carried  away  at  once 
to  the  hospital.  Amputation  was  necessary,  but  the 
lad  would  not  at  first  agree  to  it  ;  however,  just  as  we 
had  finished  dinner  a  message  came  to  say  that  his 
friends  had  been  summoned,  and  that  both  they  and 
he  were  willing  for  the  operation  to  take  place,  so  no 
time  was  lost  in  performing  it. 

Next  morning  we  visited  him  in  the  hospital,  and 
found  him  looking  quite  comfortable,  and  not  at  all 
pale  even. 

In  the  early  days  of  the  railway  there  were  count- 
less accidents  ;  people  would  drop  things  on  to  the 
line,  and  then  creep  under  the  train  to  pick  them  out, 
or  step  in  front  of  it  just  as  it  was  starting.  We  were 
surprised  to  find  blue  glass  windows  in  many  of  the 
trains,  but  the  explanation  of  that  was,  that  being 
unaccustomed  to  glass,  people  were  continually  putting 
their  heads  through  them  as  long  as  they  were  un- 
coloured !  Even  now  the  trains  all  approach  and  leave 
the  stations  extraordinarily  slowly,  and  there  is  a  great 
bell  ringing  in  order  to  warn  people  off  the  line.  Of 
course  there  are  no  overhead  or  underground  passages 
for  crossing  the  line,  so  that  it  makes  accidents  almost 
inevitable.  They  are  taken  with  the  usual  Chinese 
stolid  imperturbability. 

Hsin  Muntun  is  an  interesting  little  town  not  far 
distant  from  Moukden,  which  we  visited  in  order  to 

35 


The  Face  of  Manchuria        ch.  iii 

see  the  admirable  mission  work  carried  on  there  by 
members  of  the  Irish  Presbyterian  Mission,  having 
received  a  cordial  invitation  from  one  of  the  staff 
whom  we  happened  to  meet  on  the  railway  as  we 
travelled  south.  The  Irish  and  Scotch  Presbyterians 
may  be  said  to  have  federated  in  Manchuria,  and  work 
together  with  hearty  goodwill.  Though  Hsin  Mun- 
tun  offered  no  striking  characteristics,  I  had  the  good 
fortune  to  make  sketches  of  the  women  there,  with 
their  curious  head-dress,  similar  to  that  worn  through- 
out the  country. 

In  the  women's  hospital  were  two  widows,  a6ting 
as  assistants  ;  they  donned  their  best  garments  for  my 
benefit,  and  may  be  seen  in  the  accompanying  sketch, 
saluting  one  another  in  the  Manchu  style.  The 
Manchus  always  wear  the  hair  dressed  over  a  metal 
framework,  either  as  in  the  sketch,  or  like  a  wide  flat 
bow,  and  with  both  styles  of  head-dress  a  large  bunch 
of  artificial  flowers  is  worn,  and  gold  ornaments  in 
addition.  In  winter  a  cap  is  worn  out  of  doors,  with 
fur  round  it,  and  embroidered  strings  hanging  down 
behind,  not  to  mention  ear-muffs,  an  imperative  ne- 
cessity where  the  cold  is  so  intense.  We  found  that  in 
the  women's  hospital  they  decided  to  have  the  bulk  of 
the  accommodation  in  the  shape  of  heated  khangs,  as  in 
the  homes  of  the  people  ;  these  are  brick  platforms, 
used  instead  of  bedsteads  :  they  are  greatly  preferred  by 
the  patients.  It  may  not  be  so  sanitary,  but  the  people 
feel  much  more  at  home  on  the  khang,  and  as  physical 
health  is  not  the  main  object  of  medical  mission  work, 

36 


ch.  iii  Hsin   Muntun 

it  is  obvious  that  due  regard  must  be  paid  to  the 
likings  or  prejudices  of  the  people  among  whom  the 
missionary  is  working.  The  cost  of  medical  mission 
work  is  heavy,  and  we  were  touched  by  the  efforts  to 
utilise  to  the  utmost  the  money  which  had  been  sent 
from  home  for  the  buildings.  The  funds  had  not 
been  sufficient  to  provide  for  a  porch  or  front  door, 
so  a  mat  shed  had  been  erected  till  the  requisite 
money  should  be  forthcoming.  Efficiency  does  not 
depend  on  these  things,  but  workers  would  be  much 
encouraged  if  their  supporters  were  more  numerous, 
or  more  generous. 

The  men's  hospital  is  larger,  and  is  complete — 
very  simple,  but  thoroughly  practical,  and  attracting 
patients  from  all  the  country  round.  Our  visit  took 
place  at  rather  a  slack  time  of  year,  and  it  was 
undergoing  a  New  Year's  cleaning,  as  that  is  the 
occasion  when  all  patients,  if  possible,  return  to  their 
own  homes.  After  visiting  both  the  men's  and  the 
women's  hospitals  we  went  to  the  girls'  school,  and 
met  with  a  great  surprise.  Three  years  ago  the  school 
was  not  in  existence,  and  when  the  children  first  came, 
mostly  from  Christian  homes  in  neighbouring  vil- 
lages, they  were  absolutely  ignorant  of  reading  and 
writing.  Now  we  saw  them  examined  in  geography, 
arithmetic,  algebra,  singing,  and  drilling.  There  are 
about  fifty  boarders  :  they  are  under  the  charge  of  a 
Chinese  matron,  with  four  senior  girls  as  monitors  to 
help  her.  These  girls  were  examined  last  term  along 
with  the  boys,  who  had  been  studying  many  years. 

37 


The  Face  of  Manchuria        ch.  iii 

The  best  girl  pupil  obtained  an  average  of  84  per  cent, 
marks,  coming  out  ahead  of  the  boys  in  arithmetic, 
Scripture,  and  algebra.  She  got  100  per  cent,  for 
arithmetic,  95  for  an  essay,  96  for  Chinese  classics 
(memorised),  and  85  for  explaining  the  Chinese 
classics.  The  children's  sums  were  as  neat  and  the 
figures  as  well  written  as  one  could  wish  to  see,  their 
maps  excellent,  and  they  answered  the  questions  in 
geography  on  all  parts  of  the  world,  pointing  out  the 
places  on  the  charts  on  the  wall.  I  am  forced  to 
admit  that  the  examination  in  geography  was  more 
painful  to  us  than  to  the  examined,  for  we  were  re- 
quired, without  book  or  map,  to  ask  questions  on 
Australasia  and  South  America,  parts  of  the  world 
with  which  I  was  sadly  unfamiliar.  We  happened 
to  go  back  into  the  schoolroom  after  school  had  been 
dismissed,  and  found  a  child  who  had  not  been  able 
to  point  out  on  the  map  the  way  from  Shanghai  to 
England  now  receiving  a  lesson  on  it  from  the 
monitor.  The  Irish  master  told  us  the  girls  are 
"  tigers  "  for  work,  and  far  keener  than  the  boys,  to 
whom  education  has  always  been  open.  We  went 
into  the  courtyard  to  watch  them  drill,  and  here  again 
we  were  struck  with  the  success  of  the  monitress,  who 
had  learnt  the  exercises  from  a  book,  with  merely  an 
explanation  from  the  foreign  teacher  when  she  failed 
to  understand  it.  The  singing  is  entirely  taught  on 
the  sol-fa  system,  and  the  children  have  already  learnt 
to  sing  creditably  simple  part  music.  They  are  nearly 
all  Chinese,  but  apparently  there  is  little  appreciable 

38 


ch.  iii  Hsin  Muntun 

difference  between  the  intellectual  ability  of  Chinese 
and  Manchus.  Morning  school  closed  with  two  or 
three  short  prayers  by  the  girls,  and  the  repetition  of 
the  Lord's  Prayer  :  they  always  dismiss  themselves. 
The  education  is  free,  but  the  children's  food  is  pro- 
vided by  the  parents  :  they  looked  thoroughly  well  and 
happy,  and  comparatively  clean,  and  none  are  allowed 
to  have  bound  feet.  They  have  a  large  measure  of 
freedom,  except  that  they  are  not  allowed  outside  the 
large  compound.  The  money  for  the  building  came 
in  a  way  as  unexpected  as  welcome.  The  missionary 
received  word  that  an  official  desired  him  to  come  to 
the  railway  station  to  see  him  on  his  way  through 
Hsin  Muntun,  and  when  they  met,  the  official  pre- 
sented him  with  a  cheque  for  3000  taels  in  aid  of  the 
excellent  educational  work  that  he  was  doing.  This 
enabled  him  to  start  building  the  girls'  school,  of  which 
he  had  to  be  not  only  the  founder,  but  also  the  archi- 
tect. In  the  same  way  the  doctor  had  to  design  his 
house  and  hospitals,  and  superintend  the  building  of 
them  ;  no  doubt  the  labour  is  far  greater  for  a  man 
without  architectural  training  ;  otherwise  the  build- 
ings seem  to  be  quite  as  well  done  as  the  majority  of 
houses,  and  at  considerably  smaller  cost. 

Leaving  Hsin  Muntun  we  started  for  Moukden, 
where  the  Chinese  stationmaster  had  been  asked  to 
give  us  assistance  in  changing  stations,  so  that  we  might 
not  miss  the  train.  He  spoke  a  little  English,  and 
sent  a  man  with  us  to  look  after  our  luggage  in 
one  cart,  while  we  went  in  another.     The  road  was 

39 


The  Face  of  Manchuria        ch.  iii 

indescribable,  for  a  thaw  had  set  in,  and  oceans  of  mud 
added  to  the  horrors  of  the  way,  emitting  a  stench 
which  had  lost  nothing  by  six  months'  frost.  We 
were  flung  to  and  fro  in  the  cart,  and  it  seemed  an 
endless  drive.  On  arrival  we  rejoiced  to  see  that  the 
clock  had  not  yet  struck,  though  it  was  just  approach- 
ing the  hour  for  the  train  to  start.  As  this  was  the 
Japanese  line  (the  one  which  extends  from  Dalny  to 
Kwan  Chengtze),  we  had  to  get  our  money  changed 
into  Japanese  yen  before  we  could  buy  tickets,  and 
were  then  told  there  was  no  train  for  three  and  a  half 
hours.  As  our  friends  had  sent  to  the  station  at  Hsin 
Muntun  to  inquire,  and  been  told  that  this  train  was 
running,  we  felt  rather  provoked,  but  found  the  ex- 
planation in  the  fadt  that  it  only  ran  three  times  a 
week,  and  this  was  not  the  right  day.  A  pleasant  little 
fellow  took  us  to  a  comfortable  waiting-room,  and 
fetched  us  a  kettle  of  hot  water  to  make  tea,  but  no 
sooner  had  we  done  this  than  another  official  came  and 
turned  us  out  in  order  to  prepare  a  meal  for  a  Japanese 
family,  and  we  had  to  retire  to  a  miserable  little  office. 
The  Japanese  line  is  well  managed  and  clean  :  the 
Chinese  attendant  comes  round  at  intervals  with  his 
feather  brush,  and  is  ready  to  provide  you  with  hot 
water  whenever  you  want  it,  and  comes  to  brush  you 
down  before  you  leave  the  train.  We  were  thankful 
to  betake  ourselves  to  the  train  as  soon  as  it  came  in, 
although  there  was  still  an  hour  before  it  was  due  to 
start  for  Liao  Yang.    The  journey  is  only  thirty  miles, 

but  the  ordinary  trains  take  nearly  three  hours,  and 

4o 


ch.  iii  Hsin   Muntun 

one  finds  it  rather  slow  and  monotonous.  When  one 
thinks,  however,  of  the  pre-railway  days,  when  you 
might  not  infrequently  take  the  same  length  of  time 
to  do  three  miles,  thanks  to  the  ocean  of  mud  which 
constitutes  a  road  as  soon  as  the  spring  thaw  sets  in, 
ten  miles  an  hour  seems  wild  speed. 


41 


CHAPTER   IV 

Liao   Yang 

1IAO  YANG  was  the  ancient  capital  of  the  Liao 
Tong  province  of  Southern  Manchuria,  and  it 
Jl  is  the  most  beautiful  of  Manchurian  cities,  for 
within  the  walls  are  orchards  of  plum,  cherry,  apricot, 
and  pear,  which  look  radiantly  lovely  against  the 
sombre  background  of  the  walls.  Originally  it  was 
not  Manchu  but  Chinese,  as  I  have  pointed  out  on 
page  15.  The  Manchus  tried  to  gain  possession  of 
it,  but,  failing  in  the  attempt,  they  built  a  city  for 
themselves  on  the  other  side  of  the  river,  which  is 
called  the  New  Liao  Yang.  In  addition  to  the  four 
usual  gateways  into  the  city — north,  south,  east,  and 
west — there  is  one  which  is  quite  different  in  ap- 
pearance, called  the  Korean  Gate,  through  which  the 
Korean  envoys  used  to  pass  when  bringing  tribute. 
Through  it  there  is  a  lovely  view  on  to  the  river, 
with  low-lying  hills  in  the  distance  :  the  sketch  is 
looking  not  out  of  the  city,  but  inwards.  Just  within 
the  gate  is  a  dusty  sort  of  waste  place  at  the  foot  of 
the  wall,  frequented  by  scavenger  dogs,  and  you  may 
see,  as  we  did,  a  wisp  of  straw  in  which  a  dead  baby 

has  been  wrapped  and  cast  out,  for  the  Chinese  do 

42 


ch.  iv  Liao  Tang 

not  bury  them,  in  the  hopes  that  the  ill-luck  caused  by 
the  death  of  the  child  may  be  averted.1  To  this  day 
the  cart  may  be  seen  going  round  Peking  to  collecl: 
the  little  corpses,  just  like  a  scavenger's  cart. 

Just  outside  the  Korean  Gate  we  saw  a  cadet  corps 
marching  along  in  good  style,  with  drums  beating, 
and  creating  just  as  much  interest  as  a  similar  one 
does  at  home.  These  city  walls  were  in  existence 
before  the  Manchu  dynasty  came  (in  1644),  and  yet 
the  bricks  look  as  new  in  most  parts  as  if  they  had 
just  been  built,  and  it  is  only  where  the  Russians  made 
breaches  in  them  that  they  are  at  all  ruinous  ;  we 
found  this  to  our  cost  when  we  wanted  to  climb 
down  them  after  seeing  the  view.  The  dust  had 
accumulated  somewhat  on  the  outer  side,  so  we 
climbed  up  with  comparatively  little  difficulty,  and 
were  well  rewarded  by  the  glorious  panorama  illumin- 
ated by  the  rays  of  the  setting  sun.  The  Liao  River 
runs  just  outside  the  east  wall,  and  the  fields  and  dis- 
tant hills  wore  the  lovely  golden  colour  of  an  Egyptian 
scene.  Just  below  us  the  ferry-boat  was  conveying 
passengers,  carts,  mules,  cows,  donkeys,  &c,  from 
one  shore  to  the  other,  and  we  watched  a  carter  first 
getting  his  cart  up  the  steep  bank  and  then  returning 

1  Dr.  Arthur  Smith,  the  well-known  authority  on  Chinese  customs,  told  me 
that  the  reason  for  the  non-burial  of  children  in  China  is  due  to  the  facl  that 
they  are  not  recognised  as  an  integral  part  of  the  family  till  after  marriage. 
Consequently  it  is  not  uncommon  to  marry  them  after  death,  in  order  to  be 
able  to  give  them  an  adopted  son  to  perpetuate  the  family,  and  to  offer 
worship  at  the  ancestral  shrine.  In  one  case  of  which  he  knew,  the  corpse 
of  the  bride  was  carried  with  great  pomp  to  the  village  where  the  bridegroom 
had  lived,  and  they  were  both  buried  together. 

43 


The  Face  of  Manchuria         ch.  iv 

to  carry  his  fare,  an  old  lady,  up  the  bank  on  his  back. 
A  recalcitrant  cow  had  to  be  hauled  aboard  by  a  cord 
tied  to  its  front  leg  and  by  its  bridle,  but  most  of  the 
animals  seemed  quite  accustomed  to  the  job.  After 
watching  them  awhile  we  turned  southward  to  where 
a  range  of  hills  bounded  the  horizon,  ending  with  a 
peak  loftier  than  the  rest,  and  known  by  the  Japanese 
as  "  Kuropatkin's  eye."  This  ridge  was  held  by  the 
Russians  during  the  war,  and  for  six  months  previous 
to  the  battle  of  Liao  Yang  they  were  busy  making 
defences  between  the  hills  and  the  city.  The  trenches 
and  barbed  wire  entanglements  were  admirably 
executed,  and  it  cost  seven  days  of  hard  fighting 
before  the  Japanese  were  able  to  enter  the  city.  Point 
after  point  was  taken  and  retaken  ;  the  Russian  ranks 
were  mowed  down  like  standing  corn,  and  the 
Japanese  displayed  an  equal  courage,  so  that  during 
those  seven  days  the  loss  of  the  two  armies  was 
reckoned  at  25,000  men  left  dead  on  the  field.  The 
Japanese  general  sat  in  a  temple  some  miles  away 
from  the  scene  of  aclion,  directing  the  operations, 
but  with  the  information  coming  steadily  in  from  all 
points  by  telephone.  He  had  pushed  forward,  leaving 
no  means  of  retreat,  and  by  the  end  of  the  battle  he 
was  at  the  end  of  his  resources,  victorious,  but  unable 
to  follow  up  the  victory.  In  England  few  people 
realised  the  tremendous  struggle  that  was  going  on, 
and  the  magnificent  prowess  of  the  two  nations. 
The  Russian  soldier  mournfully  asked,  "  Why  do 
we  come  out  here  to  fight  ?  "  but  he  fought  valiantly 

44 


ch.  iv  Liao   Yaiig 

all  the  same.  Eighteen  months  ago  Kitchener  sent 
a  party  of  forty  young  officers  from  India  to  visit 
these  battlefields,  with  Japanese  lecturers  to  instruct 
them  daily,  while  they  sat  taking  notes  on  the  hill- 
sides overlooking  the  plain.  There  was  always  one 
Japanese  soldier  present,  who  had  taken  part  in  the 
action,  to  describe  his  own  personal  experiences,  which 
must  have  added  a  vivid  touch  to  the  technical  details. 
The  Japanese  travelled  lightly,  and,  fortunately  for 
them,  the  standing  crops  rendered  cavalry  practically 
useless.  The  principal  crop  is  millet,  which  grows 
fifteen  feet  in  height,  and  the  Russians  crushed  it 
down  by  means  of  improvised  rollers  drawn  by  horses. 
In  the  Japanese  army  everything  is  utilised,  and  is 
as  compact  as  possible.  A  general  was  seen  lost  in 
study  one  day,  and  he  explained  that  he  had  found  a 
use  for  the  little  boxes  in  which  the  rations  were 
carried  and  for  the  paper  in  them,  but  he  could  not 
think  what  to  do  with  the  string  !  During  a  plague 
of  rats  in  the  north  the  Japanese  all  provided  them- 
selves with  ear-muffs,  which  they  manufactured  out 
of  the  rat  skins. 

One  of  the  interesting  sights  at  Liao  Yang  is  the 
Fox  Temple, which  standson  a  little  hill, and  is  reached 
by  a  fine  flight  of  steps.  The  worship  of  the  fox  is 
a  purely  indigenous  form  of  worship  in  China  ;  but 
it  is  mixed  up  with  the  other  religions,  and  fox 
shrines  may  be  seen  in  Buddhist  or  Taoist  temples. 

In  the  principal  building  was  a  Buddha,  before 
which  worshippers  were  offering  cakes  and  incense, 

45 


The  Face  of  Manchuria        ch.  iv 

and  there  was  also  a  large  bag  of  paper  money  on 
the  altar.  In  an  adjoining  shrine  were  three  large 
figures  of  the  fox  family,  dressed  as  officials,  with 
literary  badges  on  the  front  of  their  robes.  The  old 
priest  came  in  to  remove  some  of  the  offerings  for 
his  midday  meal,  and  on  inquiry  said  he  had  often 
seen  the  fox  come  in,  and  that  it  was  white.  In  one 
of  the  side  doors  is  a  hole,  just  like  those  to  be  seen 
for  cats  in  old  French  castles,  through  which  the  fox 
is  supposed  to  enter. 

As  we  returned  from  the  walls  we  watched  a  man 
flying  a  wonderful  centipede  kite,  some  sixty  feet 
in  length.  The  head  was  that  of  a  dragon,  with 
wide  open  jaws,  and  a  red  tongue  ;  its  eyes  rotated  in 
their  sockets  with  a  whirring  sound,  and  it  was 
painted  gold,  and  pink,  and  blue.  The  sections  of  the 
body  were  round  discs  of  green  and  pink  paper  on  a 
light  bamboo  framework,  with  a  stick  about  four 
feet  long  protruding  on  each  side,  and  a  tuft  of  feathers 
at  the  ends  to  represent  the  legs  of  the  beast.  This 
kite  is  a  graceful  objedt  serpentining  in  the  sky,  and 
when  at  a  considerable  height,  a  messenger  kite  was 
sent  up  to  it,  which  discharged  a  shower  of  crackers  (?) 
on  its  arrival  and  then  sped  swiftly  down  the  string 
again,  having  accomplished  its  errand.  These  kites 
sometimes  require  as  many  as  six  men  to  hold  them, 
and  a  very  strong  cord  is  necessary. 

Passing  along  the  street  we  came  to  an  interesting 
medicine  stall,  where  four  bears'  paws  and  some  stags' 
antlers  were  the  most  prominent  goods.     The  latter 

46 


ch.  iv  Liao  Tang 

are  in  great  request  when  they  are  in  velvet,  and 
hunters  dig  pits  for  the  deer  in  the  eastern  mountains 
of  Manchuria.  Sometimes  the  hunter  is  robbed  of 
his  prey  by  the  wily  bear,  who  finds  the  antlers  a 
tasty  morsel,  and  gnaws  them  off  before  the  hunter 
comes  round  to  visit  the  pit.  As  medicine  the  antlers 
are  dried  and  ground  into  powder.  Other  medicines 
on  the  stall  were  eagles'  claws,  deers'  hoofs,  and  dried 
centipedes,  about  four  inches  long,  attached  to  bits 
of  bamboo.  We  bought  one  of  these,  and  inquired 
what  disease  it  is  used  for  ;  "  wind  in  the  stomach," 
was  the  reply. 

All  diseases  in  China  seem  to  have  their  root  in  an 
evil  temper,  and  it  is  not  uncommon  for  patients  so 
afflicted  to  come  for  medicinal  treatment  to  the  dis- 
pensary. The  prescription  of  one  of  the  lady  doctors 
is  as  follows  :  "  Go  into  a  room  alone,  take  a  mouth- 
ful of  mixture  (a  nice  pleasant  one),  and  hold  it  in  the 
mouth  twenty  minutes  before  swallowing."  This 
remedy  has  excellent  effects,  and  may  be  used  in 
England  with  equal  efficacy. 

We  were  so  charmed  with  the  city  of  Liao  Yang, 
that  it  required  small  persuasion  to  induce  us  to  return 
there  a  month  later  in  order  to  visit  the  neighbouring 
mountains  of  Chang  Shan  (a  thousand  peaks),  and  I 
shall  let  the  account  of  it  follow  the  present  chapter.  It 
was  the  last  week  in  April,  and  all  the  fruit-trees  and 
the  elms  were  bursting  into  blossom  and  leaf,  as  we 
walked  from  the  station  outside  the  gate  to  the  mission 
premises  within  it,  embowered  among  orchards,  and 

47 


The  Face  of  Manchuria         ch.  iv 

the  scent  of  lilac  filling  the  air.  The  mission  gardens 
were  beginning  to  show  signs  of  the  loveliness  which 
has  won  them  a  well-deserved  reputation  among  tra- 
vellers, and  we  returned  like  old  friends  to  our  former 
quarters.  Life  on  the  mission  field  soon  cements 
friendship,  and  medical  mission  work  must  appeal 
even  to  the  stubbornest  heart.  We  had  already  visited 
the  two  hospitals,  models  of  practical,  unostentatious 
usefulness,  with  the  excellent  native  staff  trained  by 
Dr.  Westwater,  whose  name  is  a  household  word  in 
the  land.  To  him  was  due  the  fact  that  the  town 
was  saved  from  the  horrors  of  bombardment  by  the 
Russian  troops,  and  one  has  but  to  walk  through  the 
streets  of  Liao  Yang  with  him  to  see  how  universal 
is  the  respect  in  which  he  is  held. 

There  are  various  temples  of  different  religions  in 
Liao  Yang,  and  we  visited  the  Temple  of  Hell,  where 
are  depicted  all  the  horrors  of  future  punishment, 
than  which  nothing  could  be  more  ghastly  than  the 
Chinese  conception.  The  grotesqueness  of  their  real- 
istic execution  in  coloured  plaster  fortunately  took 
away  some  of  the  gruesomeness,  and  in  one  of  the 
side  shrines  we  found  the  extraordinary  figure  of  the 
popular  deity,  called  the  "  Ten  Parts  Imperfect  One." 
The  sketch  in  Chapter  XII.  hardly  does  justice  to 
the  hideousness  of  the  figure,  which  represents  the 
main  woes  to  which  flesh  is  heir  in  China — lameness, 
blindness,  dropsy,  harelip,  boils,  &c.  &c,  and  to  this 
deity  the  people  come  to  pray  in  all  cases  of  sickness. 

We   also   visited   a    picturesque    Buddhist   shrine, 

48 


7 


BLIND    BUDDHIST   NUN 


ch.  iv  Liao   Ta?ig 

where  an  old  blind  nun  lives,  the  owner  of  much 
property,  and  of  the  orchards  adjacent  to  the  mission 
property.  We  found  her  seated  on  the  khang  imme- 
diately behind  the  figure  of  the  Buddha,  where  she 
has  spent  many,  many  years  in  meditation.  She 
welcomed  us  with  cordiality,  and  made  us  sit  down 
beside  her,  while  she  entered  into  a  long  and  intimate 
conversation  with  our  host,  whom  she  had  not  met 
for  some  years.  The  nun  had  a  remarkable  head, 
closely  shaven,  of  course,  under  her  black  cap,  and 
looked  more  like  a  man  than  a  woman.  She  told  us 
that  she  became  blind  when  she  was  only  six  years 
old,  and  now  she  was  seventy-nine.  She  felt  our 
hands  with  the  subtle,  searching  touch  of  the  blind, 
and  had  not  a  little  to  say  on  them  ;  we  much 
regretted  our  ignorance  of  Chinese,  as  our  feminine 
curiosity  to  know  what  she  said  was  left  ungratifled. 
The  conversation  then  turned  on  the  great  problems 
of  life,  both  this  life  and  the  next,  but  she  seemed 
entirely  ignorant  of  Buddhist  philosophy,  and  took 
refuge  in  futile  platitudes  ;  as  regards  the  future  she 
said,  "  We  die,  and  there  is  nothing  more."  It  is  dis- 
appointing to  find  how  utterly  ignorant  they  are  of 
anything  beyond  the  externals  of  their  religion.  The 
Taoist  monks,  on  the  contrary,  boast  many  men  of 
learning,  and  have  more  conception  of  real  religion. 
I  understand  this  is  also  the  case  in  other  parts  of 
the  Chinese  Empire. 

In  contrast  with  the  various  temples  nothing  more 
charming  could  be  found  than  the  simple  beauty  of 

49  D 


The  Face  of  Manchuria        ch.  iv 

the  mission  church.  It  is  always  difficult  to  arrange 
for  parts  of  a  building  to  be  screened  off  without 
spoiling  the  effecl:  of  it  as  a  whole  ;  at  the  present  time 
this  is  still  considered  necessary  in  China,  so  that  the 
men  and  women  may  be  separated  from  one  another, 
also  they  have  separate  entrances.  In  the  Liao  Yang 
church  the  difficulty  was  ingeniously  conquered  by 
making  the  transept  the  women's  part,  and  diminish- 
ing the  space  of  the  nave  where  it  joins  the  transept, 
by  erecting  a  smaller  arch  on  either  side  containing 
a  screen.  The  pulpit,  being  in  the  centre,  commands 
the  whole  building.  This  church  was  designed  by 
an  archite6t  specially  sent  out  by  the  mission  com- 
mittee, and  it  is  of  no  small  importance  that  such 
buildings  should  be  carefully  designed  to  be  in  har- 
mony with  the  architecture  of  the  country,  and  not 
to  seem  European.  At  the  great  World  Missionary 
Conference  at  Edinburgh,  stress  was  laid  by  speakers 
from  all  lands  on  the  growing  desire  of  native 
Christians  to  have  their  own  national  churches.  To 
this  end  every  detail  must  be  studied  ;  not  only  must 
religion  be  taught  them  in  their  own  language,  but 
the  churches  in  which  they  worship  must  have  a 
homelike  feeling,  so  that  nothing  may  suggest  to  them 
that  Christianity  is  a  foreign  religion.  When  all  is 
said  and  done  it  came  from  the  East  and  not  from  the 
West,  so  that  its  externals  at  least  should  have  as 
little  Western  colouring  as  possible. 


5° 


CHAPTER   V 

A  Visit  to  the   Thousand   Peaks 

NEXT  morning  we  made  an  early  start  for  the 
Changsha  Valley,  in  which  is  an  interesting 
group  of  monasteries,  both  Taoist  and  Budd- 
hist. The  former  do  not  admit  women  visitors,  but 
the  latter  do.  The  carts  containing  our  luggage  and 
bedding  had  started  about  3  a.m.,  as  we  were  to 
do  the  first  few  miles  by  rail  across  a  monotonous 
plain.  There  was  only  a  goods  train  at  that  early 
hour,  7.25,  but  one  car  is  attached  to  it  for  passengers, 
and  in  this  we  travelled  for  nearly  an  hour.  It  contains 
but  one  small  seat  at  each  end,  occupied  by  Japanese 
and  guards,  so  the  rest  of  the  company  mainly  squatted 
on  the  floor.  Some  had  nice  skin  rugs  or  parcels  on 
which  to  sit,  and  looked  eminently  comfortable,  but 
we  had  to  make  the  best  of  narrow  window  ledges, 
and  were  glad  enough  to  reach  the  roadside  station 
where  we  got  out.  There  was  a  little  waiting-room 
in  which  we  sat,  as  the  cart  had  not  yet  arrived, 
but  thanks  to  the  care  of  a  charming  hospital  assistant, 
who  came  to  look  after  us  from  Liao  Yang,  we  were 
promptly  invited  into  the  booking-office,  where  several 
smart  Japanese  officials  were  seated  round  a  stove,  and 

51 


The  Face  of  Manchuria         ch.  v 

European  chairs  were  given  to  us.  A  bullfinch  was 
piping  cheerfully  in  a  corner,  and  they  brought  us  tea 
to  beguile  the  time.  In  about  half-an-hour  the  carts 
turned  up,  but  our  hearts  sank  at  the  thought  that 
they  had  required  four  hours  to  do  considerably  less 
than  half  the  journey.  We  were  soon  packed  into 
the  carts,  each  with  our  bedding  and  various  odds  and 
ends.  We  promptly  became  aware  that  the  more 
padding  we  had  the  better,  as  the  jolts  of  the  carts 
grew  worse  as  time  went  on.  For  three  hours  we 
crossed  the  plain  and  then  halted  for  lunch.  This 
was  our  first  experience  of  a  Manchurian  inn,  which 
certainly  falls  far  short  of  Chinese  inns.  The  kitchen 
and  guest-room  are  always  combined,  the  khang 
running  along  each  side  of  the  room,  and  the  fires  are 
at  one  end  of  it,  at  right  angles  to  the  khangs.  We 
were  installed  comfortably  on  one  side  of  the  room, 
and  enjoyed  a  discreet  investigation  by  the  other 
guests  and  villagers  from  the  other  side  of  the  room. 
Dr.  Westwater's  excellent  servant  acted  as  vigilant 
guardian,  and  made  us  quite  break  the  tenth  command- 
ment before  the  end  of  our  excursion.  It  took  nearly 
another  two  hours  before  we  came  to  the  mouth  of 
the  valley,  where  the  monasteries  lay,  and  the  dull 
monotony  of  the  plain  gave  way  to  a  ravishing  scene 
of  craggy  and  abrupt  hills  clothed  with  vegetation. 

The  wild  flowers  were  beginning  to  come  out, 
purple  anemones,  white  violets,  &c,  but  nothing  like 
the  wealth  of  the  woods  we  had  just  left  in  Korea. 
The  monasteries  were  pitched  aloft  in   inaccessible- 

52 


*PKi'a^ 


BUDDHIST   M<  INASTFRY 


ch.  v      A  Visit  to  the   Thousand  Peaks 

looking  spots,  terrace  above  terrace.  When  we  reached 
the  gorge  where  we  were  to  stay,  it  looked  well-nigh 
impossible  for  the  carts  to  make  the  ascent.  At  the 
entrance  gate  they  halted,  and  a  group  of  men  came 
forward  to  help  push  them  up  over  the  rocks.  Each 
cart  had  two  mules,  and  they  pulled  with  right  good- 
will, so  that  in  a  few  minutes  of  pushing,  pulling,  and 
shouting,  the  carts  had  been  rushed  up  through  the 
second  gateway  on  to  the  platform  where  they  were 
to  be  housed.  Much  disappointment  was  shown  by 
the  monks  at  the  non-appearance  of  our  friend  the 
doclor,  who  was  evidently  a  favourite  here  as  every- 
where, but  heavy  work  at  the  hospital  and  other 
reasons  had  prevented  his  accompanying  us.  Up  and 
up  the  rock-cut  steps  we  climbed  to  the  guest-room, 
which  had  been  bespoken  for  our  use,  and  a  more  at- 
tractive spot  itwould  have  been  impossible  to  find.  Far 
below  the  mountain  torrent  murmured,  and  wild 
pigeons  and  kites  added  their  notes  to  the  music  of  the 
brook.  I  sat  down  to  sketch  shortly  after  our  arrival, 
and  the  scene  was  precisely  the  one  to  charm  a  Chinese 
artist  of  the  old  school.  I  found  myself  insensibly 
imitating  the  reproductions  I  possess  of  work  done 
by  noted  artists  of  three  hundred  years  ago.  A  tiny 
bright  green  bird  perched  on  a  tree  close  by,  and  soon 
the  gong  began  to  sound  for  evening  worship.  A  few 
monks  made  their  way  up  the  flights  of  steps  to  where 
a  faint  glimmer  of  light  showed  from  within  the  main 
temple,  bowing  and  kneeling  at  intervals  on  the  way. 
Evening  settled  down  and  we  repaired  to  our  cell, 

53 


The  Face  of  Manchuria        ch.  v 

thinking  of  the  lovely  rose-coloured  dawn  when  I 
would  paint  the  scene.      Alas  !   next  morning  showed 
a  leaden  sky,  and  by  the  time  we  had  finished  break- 
fast large  snowflakes  came  floating  down.     The  scene 
melted  away  before  our  eyes,  and  soon  the  ground  was 
white  with  snow,  and  the  weather  showed  no  signs  of 
clearing.     The  disappointment  was  a  bitter  one  ;  our 
one  day,  our  only  opportunity  gone,  and  the  long  cold 
hours  of  the  day  without  any  occupation  to  fill  them. 
Fidus  Achates  brought  us  a  charcoal  brazier,  but  it  was 
poor  comfort.    After  lunch,  however,  the  clouds  broke 
and  the  snow  ceased  falling,  so  we  went  out  to  prospecl. 
We  were  guided  by  our  servant  Jim  down  the  gorge 
and  up  another,  where  we  came  to  a  long  flight  of  steps 
leading  up  to  a  small  Taoist  temple,  with  beautiful 
wooden  carvings  round  the  shrines,  and  a  thoroughly 
picturesque  little  courtyard  with  various  plants  in  it, 
and  brass  ornaments  brilliantly  polished.      Altogether 
it  formed  a  charming  picture,  and  had  all  the  appear- 
ance of  being  carefully  tended.      A  curious  sundial 
and  various  ornamental  tablets  were  arranged  in   the 
court,  and  there  were  also  the  conventional  pair  of 
trees  on  either  side  of  the  steps  leading  to  the  principal 
shrine.     The  sun  began  to  shine  fitfully,  and  the  snow 
to  melt  from  sunnyspots,so  we  hastened  back  to  sketch. 
Scarcely  were  we  settled  when   the  gorge  began 
to  resound  with  periodic  whistle  calls,  and  then  we 
saw  men  in  a  kind  of  blue  uniform,  and  each  with  a 
scarlet  blanket  slung  across  one  shoulder,  beginning 
to  ascend  the  temple  steps.     They  continued  to  arrive 

54 


ch.  v      A  Visit  to  the   Thousand  Peaks 

till  the  whole  place  was  swarming  with   them,  and 
finally  we  saw  our  little  platform  invaded.     It  seemed 
time  to  interfere,  so  my  friend  went  back  and  told  our 
servant  we  could  not  possibly  have  them  established  in 
our  outer  room,  which  was  already  full  of  their  things, 
and  strewn  with  orange  peel  ;  for  the  time  being  re- 
monstrance was  effectual,  but  after  a  short  evacuation 
they  returned  and  took  fresh  possession.      I  then  went 
to  the  charge  and  told  Jim  to  send  them  away.     He 
went  instead  to  fetch  an  official  in  European  tourist's 
dress,  with  field-glasses  slung  over  his  shoulder,  and  to 
my  surprise  he  spoke  excellent  English.    He  explained 
that  this  was  a  party  of  one  hundred  students  from  a 
commercial  college  at  New  Chwang  who  had  come 
for  an  excursion,  and  were  going  to  spend  three  days 
here.    I  pointed  out  that  these  rooms  had  been  engaged 
for  us  before  we  came,  and  that  it  was  impossible  for 
us  to  have  people  filling  the  outer  one,  our  only  means 
of  exit.     He  asked  if  we  should  obje6t  to  having  a 
party  of  little  boys  in  it,  and  we  said  we  certainly 
did  object,  and  that  for  this  night  they  must  sleep 
elsewhere.      He    promised  to   arrange  it  so,  and  all 
their  things  were  taken  away,  leaving  us  in  peace 
and  content.     Alas  !   it  was  only  for  an  hour  ;   then 
he  returned  to  say  that  they  had  sent  to  try  and  find 
accommodation  in  another  monastery  but  in  vain  ; 
that  the  carts  had  arrived  bringing  the  little  boys  who 
were  very  tired,  and  he  begged  they  might  have  our 
outer  room,  promising  they  should  be  quite  quiet. 
We  were  compelled  to  give  in,  though  sorely  against 

55 


The  Face  of  Manchuria         ch.  v 

our  will,  as  the  next  day  we  were  starting  on  a  long 
journey  to  Kharbin,  not  to  mention  the  fatiguing  six 
hours'  cart  journey.  I  must  admit  that  the  boys  be- 
haved perfectly  :  they  came  in  like  mice,  and  were 
sound  asleep  before  we  knew  they  had  arrived  :  only 
gentle  snores  proclaimed  their  presence.  In  the 
morning  they  were  up  and  out  by  5.30  in  perfect 
silence.  As  we  started  at  6  o'clock  we  could  only 
admire  the  excellent  discipline  and  good  manners 
which  they  displayed,  and  almost  regret  that  we  had 
not  seen  more  of  them. 

It  was  a  lovely  morning,  and  we  were  sorry  to  quit 
the  peaceful  valley,  the  more  so  as  we  emerged  into 
a  raging  dust-storm  on  the  plain.  Our  return  journey 
was  much  more  rapid  than  the  previous  one,  and  we 
reached  the  station  one  and  a  half  hours  before  the 
train  started.  The  tiny  waiting-room  was  already 
crowded,  and  the  atmosphere  dense,  for  the  people 
have  the  vaguest  conception  of  time,  and  are 
accustomed  to  wait  hours  at  the  station.  We  had 
no  longer  our  previous  escort  to  find  us  more  com- 
fortable accommodation, so  we  had  toexercisepatience. 
The  bookstall  does  not  yet  form  part  of  the  equip- 
ment of  a  Chinese  railway  station  ;  we  were  reduced 
to  the  study  of  humanity.  We  returned  to  Liao 
Yang  for  the  third  and  last  time,  and  found  the  same 
kind  welcome  and  sense  of  home-coming  which  is 
familiar  to  all  visitors  at  Liao  Yang.  We  were  told 
that  the  good  monks  at  Changsha  had  refused  to  take 
any  remuneration  for  our  accommodation,  but  had  sent 

56 


ch.  v      A  Visit  to   the   "Thousand  Peaks 

word  to  the  do&or  that  it  was  time  to  think  of  it 
when  he  came  again.  Perhaps  that  was  a  gentle  hint 
for  him  to  come  soon,  but  it  was  a  different  experience 
from  the  one  we  had  in  the  Buddhist  monastery  that 
we  visited  in  Korea. 

A  few  hours  later  we  took  the  bi-weekly  express 
train  for  the  north,  and  reached  Kharbin  in  about 
eighteen  hours. 

I  must  now  take  my  narrative  back  to  the  time 
after  out  first  visit  to  Liao  Yang  when  we  returned 
to  Moukden,  as  the  base  from  which  to  go  to  Korea. 
In  the  map  at  the  end  of  the  volume  it  will  be  seen 
that  the  single  line  from  the  north  to  Moukden  is 
replaced  by  three  lines  spreading  out  fan  shape,  one 
to  Korea,  one  to  Dalny  (both  of  these  are  Japanese), 
and  one  to  Tientsin,  which  is  Chinese. 


57 


CHAPTER    VI 

Moukden   to   Korea 

WE  left  Moukden  at  8  a.m.  by  the  ordinary 
Japanese  train,  but  the  permanent  line 
to  Antung  is  only  completed  for  a  short 
distance.  In  our  carriage  there  was  a  framed 
notice  in  Japanese,  of  which  there  was  apparently 
an  abbreviated  form  in  English  below,  which  ran, 
"  Hands  off  the  rope,  please."  No  rope  or  check- 
string  was  visible,  so  the  order  was  rather  a  dead 
letter.  After  travelling  two  and  a  half  hours  we  had  to 
change  to  the  light  railway  on  which  are  no  first-class 
carriages.  The  accommodation  was  limited  in  every 
way,  and  the  narrow  benches  made  us  long  for  the 
"  cushioned  seats  "  which  Maggie's  brothers  found  so 
reposeful  in  "  What  every  woman  knows."  Despite 
the  beauty  of  the  scenery  the  way  seemed  long  : 
hour  after  hour  passed  by,  while  still  we  crept  up  the 
mountain  gorges.  The  Manchurian  side  showed  little 
vegetation  on  the  crags,  except  some  stunted  pine- 
trees.  On  all  the  Japanese  lines  we  were  struck  with 
the  large  number  of  soldiers  hanging  about.  The 
Chinese  Government  granted  permission  for  one 
soldier  to  every  ten  miles  of  railway  ;  but  there  are 

58 


ch.  vi  Moukden  to  Korea 

15,000  men  to  703  miles  of  railway,  according  to  Mr. 
Tyenaga's  reckoning  in  an  article  entitled  "  Man- 
churia's Strategic  Railway."  They  are  quartered  in 
various  places.  Yet  Japan  notified  to  the  Powers  the 
withdrawal  of  her  troops  from  Manchuria  only  a  few 
months  ago  !  At  midday  we  made  a  short  halt,  and 
the  Japanese  officers  had  tea  served  to  them,  and  pro- 
duced their  "luncheon  baskets."  These  consisted  of 
three  neat  little  trays,  a  paper  serviette,  and  chopsticks  : 
the  top  tray  was  filled  with  rice,  the  next  with  a 
vegetable  salad,  and  the  third  with  rissoles,  fish,  and 
other  savouries.  Another  Japanese  passenger  pro- 
duced from  his  sleeve  a  toothpick,  knife,  fruit,  &c. 
It  was  a  continual  source  of  interest  to  us  to  see  what 
came  out  of  that  receptacle — note-book,  pencil, 
handkerchief,  cigarettes,  matches,  a  veritable  box  of 
tricks  ;  finally  he  selected  a  lump  of  coal  from  a  truck 
attached  to  the  rear  of  the  carriage,  wrapped  it  in 
paper,  and  added  it  to  the  other  treasures  up  his  sleeve, 
or  perhaps  it  would  be  more  correct  to  say  down  his 
sleeve,  for  it  formed  a  sort  of  pouch.  He  was  an 
interesting  specimen  of  the  indeterminate  Jap,  so 
common  in  Manchuria  ;  his  clothes,  the  first  day  of 
the  journey,  were  a  mixture  of  European,  Chinese, 
and  Japanese,  but  next  day  he  appeared  in  a  sort  of 
European  clerical  black  suit  and  white  shirt,  a  costume 
which  was  by  no  means  adapted  to  his  mode  of  sitting. 
He  took  off  his  elastic-sided  boots,  climbed  on  to  the 
narrow  seat  on  which  he  had  previously  placed  a 
folded    blanket,  gathered    his  clothing  carefully  to- 

59 


The  Face  of  Ma?ichui~ia        ch.  vi 

gether,  and  sat  down  cross-legged.  If  it  had  not  been 
for  the  large  felt  wideawake  hat  which  rested  on  his 
ears,  he  would  have  looked,  with  his  folded  arms,  like 
some  contemplative  Buddha.  Much  of  the  time  he 
spent  in  sleep,  but  every  now  and  then  he  woke  up, 
and  at  once  set  to  work  with  feverish  energy,  writing 
rapidly  in  his  note-book. 

As  we  zig-zagged  up  the  mountain  the  air  grew 
colder  and  denser,  for  our  carriage  was  full,  and  every 
one  smoked  but  ourselves.  We  managed  to  light 
the  stove  with  the  remains  of  the  luncheon  boxes, 
and  fortunately  there  was  a  scuttle  of  coal  with  which 
to  replenish  it.  The  main  drawback  was  the  difficulty 
of  escaping  being  burnt  owing  to  the  narrow  space, 
and  one's  dress  paid  with  a  couple  of  holes. 

At  7.40  p.m.  the  train  stopped  for  the  night,  and 
we  betook  ourselves  to  a  Japanese  inn  tinctured  with 
Europeanism.  It  consisted  of  a  squat  tower  with 
ten  sides,  of  which  the  centre,  also  ten-sided,  formed 
the  parlour.  Each  of  these  inner  walls  formed  a 
door,  seven  of  which  opened  into  bedrooms.  As 
they  were  all  alike,  no  one  seemed  able  to  remember 
which  was  his  room,  so  we  had  to  barricade  our  door 
if  we  wanted  to  exclude  visitors.  The  other  guests 
were  led  off  in  turns  to  have  a  bath,  and  returned  in 
due  course  arrayed  in  hotel  dressing-gowns  and 
slippers  to  sit  before  the  stove  and  smoke.  Next 
morning  we  started  again  at  8  o'clock,  and  spent  a 
similar  day  to  the  previous  one,  climbing  through 
mountain  gorges  and  crossing  and  recrossing  the  same 

60 


ch.  vi  Moukden  to  Korea 

river.  The  hill-sides  boasted  more  vegetation,  and 
the  brown  autumn  leaves  still  clung  to  the  trees,  of 
which  a  number  are  wild  mulberry,  which  grows 
freely  in  these  mountains.  We  reached  Antung  soon 
after  6  o'clock,  and  went  to  a  Japanese  inn,  recom- 
mended by  the  proprietor  of  the  one  where  we  had 
spent  the  previous  night  :  he  telegraphed  to  them  to 
meet  us  at  the  station.  Antung  is  a  considerable 
place,  and  the  Japanese  town  is  situated  quite  apart 
from  the  Chinese  ;  the  railway  and  ferry  were  near 
the  hotel,  and  we  started  betimes  for  the  latter,  which 
runs  in  connection  with  the  train  at  Wiju  on  the 
south  bank  of  the  Yalu  River.  We  took  our  tickets, 
but  they  possessed  literally  no  change  at  the  ticket- 
office.  I  was  able  to  pay  almost  the  correct  sum, 
only  three  farthings  in  excess  of  the  full  price,  and 
the  man  offered  to  give  me  the  change  later  on.  It 
did  not  seem  worth  while  struggling  through  a  dirty 
crowd  for  this  magnificent  sum  afterwards,  so  I  did 
not  return,  but  an  hour  later,  when  we  were  seated  in 
the  train  at  Wiju,  an  official  solemnly  presented  the 
three  farthings  to  me  ! 

The  river  was  full  of  ominous-looking  blocks  of 
ice,  and  the  tug  looked  sadly  unequal  to  making 
its  way  through  it  :  in  fact  it  had  missed  running 
on  that  account  more  than  one  day  the  same  week, 
so  we  thought  ourselves  fortunate  in  getting  across 
the  river  at  once.  There  is  often  considerable 
delay,  both  at  the  time  of  the  freezing  and  of  the 

thawing   of  the    river,   and    unfortunately    there    is 

61 


The  Face  of  Manchuria        ch.  vi 

no  bridge  of  any  kind.  The  permanent  line  will 
necessitate  the  building  of  a  bridge,  but  it  is  not 
expected  to  be  ready  within  the  next  two  years, 
though  the  Japanese  are  straining  every  nerve  to 
complete  the  line.  The  tug  was  wretchedly  small 
and  crowded,  but  performed  its  journey  valiantly, 
crunching  through  the  ice,  and  landing  us  in  about  a 
quarter  of  an  hour  on  the  Korean  bank  of  the  Yalu, 
where  a  well-appointed  train  awaited  us.  Never  was 
a  first-class  carriage  more  welcome  to  weary  travellers, 
never  was  an  excellently  cooked  lunch  which  was 
served  in  due  course  more  highly  appreciated,  and 
the  attendant  gave  the  finishing  touch  to  our  content- 
ment by  administering  a  much-needed  brush  down 
before  our  arrival  at  Pyong  Yang.  Everything  was  a 
strange  contrast  from  what  we  had  left  ;  the  cold 
colouring  of  Manchuria  was  replaced  by  a  warm  red 
soil,  through  which  the  first  tokens  of  spring  green 
were  beginning  to  appear.  Instead  of  the  blue 
clothing  to  which  we  had  been  accustomed,  every 
one  here  was  clad  in  white,  both  in  town  and  country. 
Rice  fields  greet  the  eye  at  every  turn,  for  this  is  the 
main  cereal  grown.  The  only  things  that  were  the 
same  were  the  Japanese  line  and  the  Japanese  official, 
no  more  conspicuous  here  than  in  Manchuria,  and 
apparently  firmly  rooted  in  both. 

Korea  is  somewhat  larger  in  extent  than  Great 
Britain,  about  80,000  square  miles  in  size,  and  the 
population  is  estimated  at  about  twelve  to  thirteen 

millions.     Owing   to  the  mountainous   character  of 

62 


ch.  vi  Moukden  to  Korea 

Korea,  a  large  part  of  it,  especially  in  the  north,  is 
uninhabitable  ;  in  facl:  some  people  estimate  that 
only  one  quarter  is  occupied.  No  census  of  the  popu- 
lation was  taken  till  that  made  by  the  Japanese  in 
1904.  As  the  people  feared  that  this  was  preliminary 
to  a  tax,  they  made  every  effort  to  prevent  correct 
numbers  being  ascertained,  and  consequently  the 
returns  were  less  than  nine  and  a  half  millions. 
Another  census  is  now  being  taken,  which,  in  all 
probability,  will  be  much  more  accurate. 

Korea  is  a  country  abounding  in  valuable  produces, 
one  of  the  chief  of  which  is  gold.  There  are  also 
excellent  anthracite  coal  and  other  minerals,  but  as 
yet  these  resources  have  been  little  utilised.  At  the 
present  time  no  less  than  one  hundred  and  eighty- 
four  mining  concessions  have  been  granted  to  British, 
American,  German,  and  French  companies,  and  their 
prospecls  are  thoroughly  encouraging.  Korea  is  the 
fifth  largest  cotton  producing  country  in  the  world, 
and  now  that  it  is  opening  up  to  trade,  with  fresh 
facilities  of  transport  by  land  and  sea,  it  is  likely  to 
make  rapid  progress.  The  people  are  naturally  peace- 
ful and  diligent,  and  under  a  wise  rule  the  land  ought 
to  become  an  ideal  one.  Christianity  and  education 
are  spreading  rapidly,  the  former  being  said  to  have 
already  200,000  adherents.  The  written  language  is 
alphabetical,  and  consists  of  twenty-five  letters,  but 
the  literate  Koreans  use  Chinese  characters,  and  all  of 
them  are  expected  to  know  that  language.  The 
missionaries  decided  to  use  the   Vn  Mum,  the  native 

63 


The  Face  of  Manchuria        ch.  vi 

script,  and  most  of  the  Christian  literature  is  pub- 
lished in  that  form.  The  Protestant  Missions  have 
been  working  only  about  twenty-five  years  in  Korea, 
but  the  Roman  Catholics  were  there  long  ago,  and 
the  terrible  persecutions  they  underwent  form  one  of 
the  most  striking  chapters  in  Korean  history.  The 
former  have  had  remarkable  success,  and  have  intro- 
duced fresh  methods  of  missionary  enterprise,  which 
will  be  described  in  the  next  chapter,  as  they  are 
likely  to  have  great  influence  on  the  future  develop- 
ment of  missions  in  other  countries.  Nowhere  have 
the  people  of  a  country  more  thoroughly  recognised 
their  duty  of  handing  on  the  gift  they  have  received, 
or  of  accepting  their  personal  responsibility  for  evan- 
gelising their  own  people. 


64 


PART  II 
The  Face  of  Korea 


THE    FACE    OF    KOREA 


CHAPTER    VII 

Pyong  Yang 

WE  reached  Pyong  Yang  (written  Ping  Yang 
by  the  war  correspondents,  and  universally 
pronounced  Piang)  in  the  early  afternoon, 
and  found  chairs  sent  by  our  kind  hosts  to  take  us 
from  the  station  to  the  town,  a  distance  of  about  one 
and  a  half  miles.  Other  passengers  got  into  rickshas, 
and  others  again  into  the  drollest  little  trolleys  on 
wheels,  like  boxes  with  the  front  side  missing,  and  con- 
taining a  bench  to  seat  two  persons.  These  trolleys  run 
on  the  narrowest  gauge  tram  lines,  and  are  propelled 
with  great  rapidity  by  a  coolie  running  on  each  side  : 
I  have  never  seen  them  anywhere  but  at  Pyong  Yang. 
We  set  off  in  our  chairs,  our  luggage  being  carried 
on  frames  called  "  giggies  "  on  the  backs  of  coolies, 
and  the  Chinese  interpreter,  whom  we  had  brought 
from  Tai  Yuan  Fu  (Mr.  Cbiao,pronounced"jow,"  as  in 
jowl)  walking  with  a  friendly  Korean  evangelist  sent 
to  meet  us.  We  had  been  told  that  Chinese  was 
understood  everywhere,  but  this  proved  entirely  in- 
correct (like  most  of  the  information  we  had  received), 


The  Face  of  Korea  ch.  vii 

and  we  were  vastly  entertained  to  see  that  these  two 
could  only  communicate  by  writing  ;  this  they  did  on 
the  surface  of  the  dusty  road  as  they  went  along.  Our 
pace  was  fortunately  slow,  as  Korean  carriers  are  not 
likethe  Chinese,  and  they  set  us  down  pretty  frequently 
for  a  rest,  which  was  an  opportunity  for  communica- 
tion eagerly  seized  by  the  writers.  Near  the  station 
are  handsome  large  new  red  brick  barracks,  and  a 
Japanese  suburb  is  growing  up  :  it  is  sad  to  see  every 
place  being  disfigured  by  European-looking  erections 
of  the  ugliest  and  most  aggressive  type.  The  American 
Presbyterian  group  of  buildings  are  a  delightful  con- 
trast to  these,  and  are  Korean  in  style  with  necessary 
adaptation  for  Western  requirements,  but  there  is  a 
hideous  new  school  on  the  brow  of  the  hill  facing 
them, which  stands  in  conspicuous  nakedness  likeablot 
on  the  landscape.  A  sort  of  building  epidemic  seems 
to  have  broken  out,  which  threatens  to  sweep  away  all 
pi£turesqueness  from  the  important  towns  in  Korea. 

The  city  of  Pyong  Yang  is  of  great  antiquity,  and 
is  said  to  date  back  as  far  as  1 122  B.C.,  when  the  cele- 
brated Ki  Cha  reigned  there. 

The  streets  still  retain  a  great  charm,  but  each  day 
sees  it  lessening.  The  stalls  contain  all  sorts  of  strange 
comestibles,  among  which  fish  occupy  a  prominent 
position,  and  various  seaweeds  are  a  naturalaccompani- 
ment  to  them.  Dried  cuttle  fish  hang  up  in  rows,  and 
are  a  tasty  dish  in  the  eyes  of  the  natives,  and  all  kinds 
of  other  fish  are  dried  and  hung  up  in  strings  to  form 
artistic  designs  for  the  adornment  of  the  shops,  as  well 


68 


KOREAN   IN   MOUKNINC 


ch.  vii  Pyong   Tang 

as  for  the  benefit  of  purchasers.  Next  in  number  to 
fish  shops  are  those  for  hats,  I  should  think,  and  these 
are  quite  unique.  I  understand  that  a  book  has  been 
written  on  the  subject,  so  numerous  are  the  varieties 
in  Korea.  The  common  hat  is  made  of  black  crino- 
line, rather  like  the  old  Welsh  hat,  but  not  so  tall,  and 
it  is  tied  with  black  strings  under  the  chin.  As  the 
whole  of  the  rest  of  a  Korean's  costume  is  white,  the 
black  hat  forms  a  telling  contrast.  The  hair  is  allowed 
to  grow  long,  and  is  gathered  into  a  top  knot,  which 
is  visible  within  the  transparent  crown  of  the  hat.  A 
closely  fitting  cap  of  horsehair  rising  into  a  peak  is 
worn  indoors,  and  below  it  is  a  tight  band  of  horse- 
hair about  a  quarter  of  an  inch  wide,  bound  round 
the  head,  greatly  to  the  detriment  of  the  circulation. 
The  mourning  cap  or  hat  is  white,  or  rather  cream 
colour,  and  still  more  commonly  is  a  large  hat  worn  as 
mourning,  looking  like  an  inverted  flower,  and  accom- 
panied by  a  long  coat  of  stiff  undressed  cotton  to  match 
(see  sketch).  Scholars  wear  a  somewhat  different 
shaped  crinoline  hat,  and  boys  celebrate  their  engage- 
ment by  wearing  a  special  little  straw  hat.  Official 
hats  again  are  quite  different,  of  which  an  example 
may  be  seen  in  the  design  on  the  book  cover. 

One  of  the  most  familiar  sights  passing  along  the 
streets  is  thewater-carrier,for  up  to  thepresenttime  the 
water-supply  of  Pyong  Yang  has  been  entirely  drawn 
from  the  river,  and  the  men  carry  the  water  in  pails 
on  their  backs ;  in  facl,  unlike  China,  every  thing  almost 

iscarried  on  the  back  in  Korea, and  frequently  the  loads 

69 


The  Face  of  Korea  ch.  vii 

are  of  a  great  weight.  The  old  tradition  is  that  Pyong 
Yang  is  a  floating  city  (it  was  built  boat-shaped),  and 
no  one  is  supposed  to  dig  in  it,  for  fear  of  sinking  the 
ship. 

One  of  the  most  interesting  places  outside  the  town 
is  a  famous  temple  beautifully  situated  on  the  brow  of 
a  hill,  set  up  to  the  god  of  war.  It  was  small  and  fairly 
well  kept,  and  the  priest  made  some  fuss  before  allow- 
ing us  to  enter.  Like  all  the  temples  here,  there  is  but 
scant  space  within  the  building  for  any  worshippers, 
but  as  they  have  no  conception  of  congregational 
worship,  this  is  a  matter  ot  no  importance.  The 
original  religion  of  Korea  was  Shamanism,  the  worship 
of  evil  spirits,  and  although  it  is  supposed  to  have  been 
superseded  first  by  Confucianism  and  later  on  by 
Buddhism  (a.d.  550),  it  still  retains  its  hold  over  the 
people,  and  is  carried  on  side  by  side  with  Confucian- 
ism and  Buddhism.  Its  shrines  are  to  be  found  in 
Seoul  itself  and  also  by  the  wayside  in  all  parts  of  the 
country.  The  main  point  in  the  religion  of  the  edu- 
cated Korean,  as  of  the  Chinese,  is  ancestor  worship, 
and  in  the  courtyard  of  every  large  house  may  be  seen 
the  ancestral  tablet  house,  where  are  the  tablets  of  two 
or  three  generations.  There  seem  to  be  considerably 
fewer  temples  in  Korea  than  in  China  ;  they  are  less 
imposing,  and  less  frequented. 

We  next  visited  the  fine  new  waterworks  built  by 
the  Japanese,  and  they  have  selected  a  beautiful  spot 
on  the  summit  of  a  hill  overlooking  the  town,  as  well 
as  an  island  in   the  river  which  they  have  connected 

70 


ch.  vii  Pyong   Yang 

with  the  mainland  by  a  bridge.  Soon  that  picturesque 
being — the  water-carrier — will  be  nothing  more  than 
a  memory  ;  but  undoubtedly  the  advantages  of  a  good 
water-supply  will  reconcile  the  inhabitants  to  the 
change.  I  am  greatly  astonished  at  the  charge  of 
dirtiness  so  frequently  brought  against  the  Koreans, 
for  on  the  whole  they  would  bear  comparison  with 
almost  any  European  nation.  They  lavish  endless 
time  and  energy  on  getting  their  clothes  white  and 
well  laundered,  for  which  they  possess  the  most  primi- 
tive implements  imaginable.  The  garment  is  folded 
quite  wet,  placed  on  a  board,  and  beaten  rapidly  with 
two  flat  sticks  for  any  length  of  time.  The  sound 
greets  one's  ears  all  day  and  every  day  in  the  streets, 
and  resembles  that  of  a  stick  being  drawn  across  pal- 
ings ;  if  you  happen  to  be  lying  ill,  the  endless  sound 
is  apt  to  be  as  nerve  racking  as  the  notes  of  the  brain- 
fever  bird  in  India. 

After  climbing  down  to  the  river-bed  by  the  water- 
works, we  proceeded  to  climb  up  the  opposite  slope, 
where  numbers  of  people  seemed  bent  on  holiday- 
making,  and  there  was  a  Japanese  tea-house  half-way 
up  to  Pioneer  Point,  whence  a  magnificent  view  is 
gained  over  a  large  stretch  of  country.  The  old  city 
walls  and  a  watch-tower  surmount  the  pine-clad  hill, 
and  a  short  walk  brings  one  to  a  tomb  of  historic  in- 
terest. In  the  heart  of  the  pine  forest  is  Kicha's  grave, 
but  the  entrance  was  tightly  shut  and  barred,  so  that 
we  were  only  able  to  get  a  glimpse  of  it.  Like  all 
important  Korean  graves,  it  is  a  mound  surrounded 

71 


The  Face  of  Korea  ch.  vii 

by  stone  animals  and  figures  of  servants  for  the  use 
of  the  deceased,  and  an  altar  on  which  sacrificial  food 
is  placed.  Kicha  is  said  to  have  cometo  Korea  in 
i  122  B.C.  as  a  refugee  from  China,  to  be  the  founder 
of  the  empire,  and  to  have  given  it  its  name  of  "Land 
of  Morning  Freshness."  His  dynasty  lasted  nearly  a 
thousand  years.  The  old  city  wall  of  PyOng  Yang  is 
said  to  date  from  Kicha  or  Kuei-ja's  reign,  but  it  is, 
alas,  now  in  course  of  demolition.  This  synchronises 
with  the  coming  of  the  first  party  of  Cook's  personally 
conducted  tours  ! 


SHORT   SUMMARY    OF    RECENT 
KOREAN    HISTORY. 

It  is  possible  that  some  readers  of  this  book  may 
wish  to  have  their  memories  refreshed  about  the  events 
which  have  crowded  so  rapidly  on  one  another's 
heels  during  the  last  half  century,  so  I  have  ventured 
to  set  down  a  table  of  dates  with  notes,  which  can 
easily  be  skipped  by  those  whose  memories  do  not 
require  it. 

i  876.  First  foreign  treaty  with  Japan — unsuccess- 
ful attempts  had  previously  been  made  by  the  Russians 
and  Americans  to  obtain  permission  to  trade. 

1883.  Trade  relations  opened  with  Great  Britain, 
America,  and  Germany.  Owing  to  internal  factions, 
the  Chinese,  representing  the  conservative  forces  of 

72 


ch.  vii  Pyong   Tang 

government,  got    decided    hold    in    Korea  over  the 

radical  party,  represented  by  Japanese  factions. 

1885.  Treaty  between  China  and  Japan  guaran- 
teeing that  neither  country  should  send  troops  to 
Korea  without  previous  consultation. 

1890  (approximately).  First  Protestant  missions 
sent  to  Korea — mainly  American. 

1894.  China  sent  troops  (without  advising  Japan) 
to  put  down  the  Tonghak  rebellion ;  hence  resulted 
the  war  with  Japan,  in  which  China  was  completely 
defeated. 

1896.  Russian  influence  became  powerful.  The 
Emperor  took  refuge  in  Russian  legation.  Lobanoff 
Yamaga  agreement  between  Russians  and  Japanese  to 
respecit  the  independence  of  Korea,  and  not  to  send 
troops  except  by  mutual  agreement. 

1903.  Russian  intrigue  won  large  timber  conces- 
sions on  the  Yalu,  and  demanded  port  on  the  N.W. 
coast  opposite  Antung-Yongampo,  which  they  re- 
named Port  Nicholas.  This  was  applied  for  by  Great 
Britain  and  United  States  of  America  as  an  open  port, 
but  Russian  influence  prevented  this  being  granted. 

1904.  War  declared  between  Russia  and  Japan  ; 
Korea  made  agreement  with  Japan  to  facilitate  its 
campaign  on  the  basis  of  Korea's  independence.  Since 
then  the  Japanese  have  steadily  increased  their  control 
over  Korean  affairs. 

1907.  The  Emperor  forced  by  the  Japanese  to 
abdicate  in  favour  of  his  nephew. 

73 


CHAPTER   VIII 

Sunday  at  Pyong   Yang 

SUNDAY  is  a  busy  day  for  missionary  workers 
at  PyOng  Yang,  as  the  rapid  growth  of  the 
work  and  the  need  for  consolidation  by 
constant  instruction,  taxes  the  resources  even  of 
the  large  staff  of  foreign  as  well  as  native  helpers. 
We  were  told  that  in  many  cases  before  the  building 
of  a  church  is  completed  the  congregation  has  out- 
grown it,  and  that  from  one  church  alone  (the  central 
one  at  PyOng  Yang)  no  less  than  thirty-nine  others 
have  "  swarmed  "  merely  for  lack  of  space,  not  from 
any  discord.  Thirty-five  of  these  churches  are  in  the 
district  round  the  town,  four  others  are  in  the  town 
itself;  the  youngest  of  them  already  has  a  member- 
ship of  561.  This  is  the  result  of  sixteen  years  of 
work,  for  the  missionaries  settled  there  in  1894,  and 
the  first  convert  was  baptized  that  year. 

We  started  out  about  1  o  o'clock  to  make  a  round  of 
some  of  the  places  of  worship.  The  first  visited  was 
a  women's  institute,  where  we  found  a  large  upper 
room  filled  with  about  500  women  and  nearly  as 
many  babies  and  little  children.  At  the  door  of  the 
Korean  churches  and  schools  the  first   thing   to  be 

74 


ch.  viii         Sunday  at   Pyong  Tang 

noticed  is  the  shoe  stand,  where  each  comer  deposits 
shoes  before  entering.  The  floors  are  covered  with 
matting,  and  every  one  sits  cross-legged  :  the  babies 
are  noisy,  but  their  crying  is  not  nearly  so  sharp  as 
that  of  Europeans,  though  sufficiently  disturbing  to 
any  ordinary  speaker.  At  the  harmonium  a  sweet- 
faced  Korean  girl  sat,  whose  playing  was  very  superior 
to  the  singing.  What  it  lacked  in  harmony,  how- 
ever, was  atoned  for  by  its  earnestness,  and  in  all  the 
services  the  reverent  attention  of  the  whole  audience 
was  most  impressive  ;  even  the  little  children  covered 
their  eyes  with  their  hands  during  prayer.  From 
below  stairs  came  the  lusty  tones  of  children  singing 
"  Hold  the  Fort,"  and  we  found  a  Sunday  school  in 
progress,  the  classes  sitting  in  circles  on  the  floor, 
each  with  a  girl  teacher  in  the  centre.  The  children 
have  been  less  cared  for  than  the  adults  hitherto,  but 
they  look  most  attractive  and  winning,  and  greater 
efforts  are  now  being  made  to  provide  for  their  in- 
struction. 

We  next  visited  the  central  church,  where  the 
men  had  just  finished  their  morning  session  of  Bible 
instruction  (9-10.30),  and  the  women  were  rapidly 
gathering.  Nowhere  could  there  be  found  a  more 
attractive  sight  than  the  hundreds  of  white  clad 
women,  carrying  their  books  wrapped  in  cloth  tied 
round  their  waists  in  front,  or  their  children  tied  on 
behind,  the  little  ones  dressed  in  every  colour  of  the 
rainbow.  The  service  is  much  like  Sunday  school 
at  home  ;  after  the  opening  hymn  and  prayers,  the 

75 


The   Face  of  Korea  ch.  viii 

women  are  divided  into  classes,  and  the  older  children, 
like  a  gay  group  of  butterflies,  are  gathered  at  the 
back  of  the  church  to  be  taught  separately.  Some 
of  the  girls  had  hats  which  take  up  space,  as  they 
are  much  larger  than  umbrellas,  and  are  carried  by 
both  hands,  extending  over  the  head  in  front  and  to 
the  knees  behind.  These  are  peculiar  to  this  district, 
and  are  used  not  mainly  for  protection  from  the  sun 
or  rain,  but  from  the  vulgar  gaze  of  man.  I  sketched 
one  of  the  school  girls  on  the  verandah,  wearing  the 
big  hat.  They  have  to  be  left  outside  the  church 
in  the  verandah  with  the  shoes.  Some  of  the  young 
women  of  the  wealthier  classes  look  quite  charming 
in  their  nun-like  coifs,  and  dressed  from  head  to  foot  in 
dazzling  white  silk,  with  smart  little  sleeveless  coats 
lined  with  white  fur  ;  the  fur  also  forms  a  border  all 
round  the  coat  and  outlines  the  arm-holes.  Woman- 
kind in  Korea  suffers  from  a  strange  lack — the  absence 
of  names.  A  woman  may  possess  a  pet  name,  other- 
wise she  has  none  ;  frequently  she  does  not  even  know 
her  husband's  name.  If  she  becomes  a  Christian  and 
receives  baptism  she  acquires  a  name,  and  this  must 
give  her  quite  a  new  sense  of  dignity.  The  Korean 
woman  has  not  been  considered  of  much  value  in  the 
past,  but  she  is  awakening  (under  Christian  influences) 
to  a  sense  of  responsibility,  and  she  takes  her  share  in 
the  work  of  evangelisation  among  her  people.  There 
had  been  a  fortnight's  Bible  study  for  women  just 
before  our  arrival  at  Pyong  Yang,  attended  by  over  500, 

many  of  whom  had  come  long  distances  on  foot  to 

76 


COY   KOREAN    MAIDEX 


ch.  viii         Sunday  at  Pyong  Ya?tg 

attend  it.  Some  had  travelled  no  less  than  seventy 
miles  on  foot,  carrying  their  supply  of  food  with 
them;  they  were  lodged  by  the  Christians  in  the  city 
without  charge,  and  after  earnest  study  they  set  out 
on  their  long  homeward  journey.  There  is  also  a 
special  Bible  school  for  a  fortnight  for  those  women 
who  wish  to  become  teachers  or  Bible  women, 
many  of  whom  are  supported  by  the  native  church. 
The  Women's  Missionary  Society  of  the  Central 
Church  has  supported  two  missionaries  for  some  years. 

The  morning  school  in  the  Central  Church  num- 
bered five  or  six  hundred,  so  that  when  both  men 
and  women  come  in  the  afternoon  to  a  united  service 
of  worship  the  church  is  full  to  overflowing  :  it  holds 
1500  to  1700. 

The  venerable  pastor,  Kil  Moksa,  is  a  Korean  of 
solid  character,  who  has  done  much  to  lessen  the 
evils  incident  to  the  coming  of  the  Japanese.  Seeing 
the  utter  hopelessness  of  resistance,  he  persuaded  the 
people  neither  to  flee  nor  to  resist,  so  that  the  blood- 
shed which  took  place  in  the  south  of  the  country  was 
avoided  in  the  north.  His  influence  is  not  only  power- 
ful but  widespread,  and  it  is  sad  to  see  the  curtailing 
of  his  work  owing  to  increasing  blindness.  He  was 
originally  an  ardent  Confucian,  and  not  content  with 
a  passive  faith  he  practised  rigorous  austerities  in  order 
to  obtain  peace  of  mind.  In  describing  this  time,  Kil 
Moksa  said:  "  I  was  trying  to  put  away  every  thought 
of  worldly  advancement  and  every  filthy  or  unclean 
impulse,  for  I  knew  right  and  wrong  then  just  as  well 

77 


The  Face  of  Korea  ch.  viii 

as  I  do  now.  I  endeavoured  to  keep  my  mind  pure 
by  concentrating  upon  the  idea  of  a  full  moon  in  my 
stomach.  By  centring  my  thoughts  upon  this  I 
endeavoured  to  shut  out  the  world  and  secure  a  view 
of  spiritual  truth.  I  wanted  to  get  a  vision  of  some 
spiritual  being,  but  all  the  time,  in  spite  of  my  efforts, 
my  mind  was  filled  with  thoughts  I  would  fain  have 
dismissed.  I  could  not  get  the  victory.  At  the  end 
of  my  stay  on  the  mountain  side,  when  I  went  to  the 
homes  of  my  friends,  I  was  filled  with  disgust  because 
their  conversation  was  all  about  worldly  advancement 
or  interspersed  with  filthy  stories."  When  Kil 
Moksa  became  a  Christian  he  was  equally  filled  with 
this  passionate  desire  for  righteousness,  not  for  him- 
self only,  but  for  his  people.  When  his  people 
seemed  to  be  growing  careless,  he  started  a  daily  prayer- 
meeting  at  4  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  this  was 
soon  attended  by  six  or  seven  hundred  people,  with 
the  result  that  a  great  revival  took  place,  and  his 
people  promised  to  spend  over  3000  days  in  trying 
to  win  others  to  a  knowledge  of  Christ. 

We  next  visited  the  Union  Theological  Seminary, 
vacated  by  the  students  on  Sunday  and  used  as  a 
church,  where  we  found  numbers  of  men  all  seated 
on  the  floor  with  the  teacher  in  the  centre.  The 
bulk  of  the  teaching  and  preaching  in  Korea  is  done  by 
natives,  and  every  church  has  a  native  pastor  ;  the 
foreign  missionary  acts  as  superintendent  of  groups 
of  churches  (sometimes  as  many  as  fifty  or  sixty) 
extending  over  a  large  area  of  the  province.     The 

78 


ch.  viii         Sunday  at  Pyong   !Ta7ig 

college  students   were    all    busy    on    Sunday    either 
preaching  or  itinerating  in  town  and  country,  and  in 
order   to  facilitate    this  arrangement   they  have   no 
classes  on  Saturday  afternoon  or   Monday  morning. 
They  remain  at  college  only  three  months  in  the  year, 
and   spend   the   remaining  nine    in   practical    work. 
Their  course  extends    over  five  years,   and   by  this 
arrangement  the  four  missions  which  it  represents  are 
able  to  supply  the  requisite  number  of  teachers  from 
their  ordinary  staff  of  workers  ;   these  teachers  can 
be  spared  from  their  other  work  for  three  months  in 
the  year,  though  it  is  only  in  cases  of  special  qualifi- 
cation that  the  same  man  is  sent  three  years  in  suc- 
cession.    The    head   of  the  college  is,   of  course,  a 
permanent  official,  and  lives  at   Pyong  Yang.     This 
is  Dr.  Moffett,  who  was  stoned  out  of  PyOng  Yang 
when  he  first  came  ;  he  frequently  used  to  hear  the 
remark  at  he  passed  along  the  streets  on  those  early 
days,  "  Look  at  this  black  rascal  !  why  did  he  come 
here  ?  let  us  kill  him."     Nowhere  was  the  opposition 
to  Christianity  fiercer  than  at  PyOng  Yang  ;   it  was  a 
notoriously  bad   city.     The  students   at  the   present 
time  number    126,  and   the  missions  represented  are 
the   American   Presbyterian  (North  and   South),  the 
Australian   Presbyterian,  and   the   Canadian    Presby- 
terian.    The  college   is  a  modest  and  unpretentious 
building  in  native  style,  and  it   is  proposed  to  build 
dormitories    round    the    compound    as    soon    as  the 
ground  has  been  levelled. 

From  this  point  we  crossed  the  town  to  the  im- 

79 


The  Face  of  Korea  ch.  viii 

posing  group  of  buildings  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Mission,  which  are  in  American  style.  The  fine 
large  church  has  a  belfry,  which  can  be  seen  as  well 
as  heard  from  afar.  We  entered  at  the  back  of  the 
women's  side,  divided  from  the  men's  by  a  screen, 
and  found  it  well  filled.  One  of  the  missionaries  told 
us  that  it  had  the  largest  "  floor  space  "  of  any  church 
in  Korea.  As  wre  entered  four  young  men  mounted 
the  platform  and  sang  an  anthem,  but  none  of  our 
party  could  decide  whether  it  was  in  Korean  or 
English.  Then  the  sermon  began,  and  we  slipped 
out  to  continue  our  pilgrimage.  The  greatest  har- 
mony exists  between  the  different  missions,  and  the 
preacher  for  the  day  belonged  to  the  Presbyterians. 
The  main  difference  between  the  missions  is  one  of 
policy.  The  Presbyterians  encourage  the  Koreans 
to  rely  upon  their  own  efforts  for  support,  to  build 
their  own  churches  in  native  style,  and  to  undertake 
the  work  of  evangelisation  at  their  own  expense. 
The  offerings  of  the  Korean  church  (that  is  of  all  the 
missions)  is  said  to  be  already  £25,000  per  annum, 
and  the  number  of  converts  200,000  ;  not  a  bad  result 
to  show  for  only  twenty-five  years  of  missionary  work. 
(These  figures  are  drawn  from  the  report  for  the  World 
Missionary  Conference  at  Edinburgh.)  The  American 
Episcopal  Mission  do  not  expecl:  as  much  from  the 
native  church  as  do  the  Presbyterians,  and  they  keep 
the  pastorate  and  general  control  to  a  greater  extent 
in  their  own  hands.  They  have  larger  funds  at  their 
disposal,  and  do  not  require  the  village  communities 

80 


ch.  viii         Sunday  at  Pyong   Yang 

to  build  their  own  churches,  whereas  the  Presbyterians 
only  help  them  with  a  loan,  which  is  repaid  in  two 
years.  Even  the  primary  schools  are  entirely  sup- 
ported by  the  Koreans.  The  Methodist  Episcopal 
Mission  has  initiated  work  among  the  blind,  and  it  has 
a  promising  school  of  blind  girls,  who  are  already  pre- 
paring text-books  in  Braille  with  a  view  to  the  opening 
of  other  schools  for  the  blind.  The  Presbyterians 
have  also  started  a  class  for  blind  boys,  but  it  is  more 
difficult  to  know  what  to  teach  them  as  a  means  of 
livelihood  than  it  is  in  the  case  of  girls.  They  have 
begun  to  prepare  a  New  Testament  in  Braille  type, 
but  it  will  require  a  great  deal  of  revision  ;  the  British 
and  Foreign  Bible  Society  has  promised  to  print  it 
as  soon  as  it  is  ready,  at  cost  price.  The  lot  of  the 
blind  in  Korea  is  a  sad  one  ;  their  sole  means  of  earn- 
ing a  living  is  by  practising  sorcery. 

In  conclusion,  I  must  add  a  word  as  to  the  character 
of  the  native  Christians  in  Pyong  Yang,  but  which  is 
equally  applicable  to  the  rest  of  the  Korean  Church. 
It  is  not  only  remarkable  to  see  the  number  of  Christians, 
but  still  more  so  to  see  their  character.  One  of  the 
ablest  speakers  at  the  Edinburgh  Conference  was  the 
Hon.  T.  H.  Yun  of  Songdo,  Minister  of  Education, 
and  leader  of  the  native  church,  a  man  of  culture  and 
refinement,  of  whom  any  country  might  well  be 
proud.  He  spoke  of  the  danger  due  to  the  extra- 
ordinarily rapid  growth  of  the  church,  yet  nevertheless 
urged  the  desirability  of  trusting  it  with  enlarged 
responsibilities.     As  far  as  my  experience  goes  this 


F 


The  Face  of  Korea  ch.  viii 

has  been  done  in  Korea  to  a  greater  extent  than  any- 
where else  in  the  many  mission  fields  that  I  have 
visited.  The  Christians  have  shown  such  a  keen 
desire  for  instruction,  together  with  such  an  aptitude 
for  learning,  that  they  are  much  more  capable  of  self- 
government,  and  of  forming  a  national  church,  than 
would  be  conceived  possible  by  those  who  have  not 
seen  this  wonderful  people.  They  have  devoted 
themselves  with  extraordinary  ardour  to  the  study  of 
the  Bible.  The  membership  of  a  great  Bible  class  at 
Syen  Chun  is  over  thirteen  hundred,  and  the  Bible  is 
the  most  read  book  in  Korea  to-day.  They  memorise 
it  apparently  as  well  as  do  the  Chinese  ;  two  school 
girls  may  be  mentioned  as  having  learnt  by  heart  the 
whole  of  the  New  Testament,  with  the  exception  of 
St.  Matthew's  Gospel,  in  the  course  of  a  year.  Yet 
less  than  thirty  years  ago  it  was  prohibited  to  sell  it 
in  the  Hermit  Kingdom,  as  Korea  has  so  justly  been 
called,  and  it  was  only  possible  to  do  so  by  having  the 
Gospels  done  up  in  bundles,  unbound,  and  distributed 
through  the  country  by  the  natives.  To  them  is 
mainly  due  the  introduction  of  Christianity  into 
Korea. 

Another  striking  feature  of  the  Korean  church  is 
the  importance  they  attach  to  prayer,  and  their  implicit 
belief  in  its  efficacy.  Where  else  in  the  world  is  to 
be  found  a  weekly  prayer-meeting  which  habitually 
numbers  thirteen  or  fourteen  hundred  ?  Yet  such  is 
the  case  at  the  Central  Church  at  PyOng  Yang. 
Mention  has  already  been  made  (page  78)  of  an  early 


ch.  viii         Sunday  at  Pyong  Tang 

morning  prayer-meeting,  which  cannot  find  a  parallel, 
I  think,  in  any  of  our  home  churches. 

No  less  important  is  the  characteristic  of  generosity 
both  in  the  matter  of  money  and  labour.  In  some 
churches  they  are  hardly  willing  to  admit  any  one  as 
a  member  who  has  not  already  won  at  least  one  con- 
vert to  Christianity.  A  form  of  contribution  was 
started  by  which  people  promise  to  give  a  day's  work 
during  a  certain  specified  time.  Last  year  there  were 
over  67,000  days  promised  throughout  the  country. 
It  is  hardly  necessary  to  give  further  details  as  to  the 
generosity  of  the  Koreans  with  regard  to  money, 
because  of  what  has  already  been  related,  but  I  must 
point  out  that  the  majority  of  the  Korean  Christians 
are  extremely  poor,  and  great  self-sacrifice  is  involved 
by  the  amount  of  work  which  they  support,  as  well 
as  by  what  they  do  personally. 


83 


CHAPTER    IX 

The  History  of  Roman  Catholicism 
in   Korea 

/*   I   AHE  extraordinarily  rapid  progress  of  Protes- 
tant missions  in  Korea  makes  one  turn  with 


ii 


interest  to  the  past  history  of  the  country 
in  its  attitude  towards  Christianity,  as  shown  in  the 
work  of  the  Roman  Catholics.  This  history  is  a 
very  unique  one,  and  is  characterised  by  some  of  the 
same  features  as  we  see  to-day  ;  the  zeal,  self-sacri- 
fice, and  faith,  the  independent  spirit  which  makes 
the  Koreans  able,  if  need  be,  to  carry  on  the  work 
without  foreign  aid,  are  to  be  seen  on  every  page  of 
its  history.  No  church  has  had  to  pass  through  more 
ceaseless  and  relentless  persecution  for  the  first  century 
of  its  existence,  nor  has  counted  more  heroic  martyrs 
among  its  members.  The  story  has  been  fully  told 
in  Pere  Dallet's  Histoire  de  /'Eg/ise  de  Koree,  and  I 
was  so  impressed  with  that  work  that  I  have  ven- 
tured to  make  a  brief  sketch  of  it,  in  the  hope  that 
it  will  be  of  interest  to  those  who  are  unable  to  study 
that  history  for  themselves. 

The  first  introduction  of  Christianity  into  Korea 

84 


ch.  ix      Roman    Catholicism  in   Korea 

was  a  strange  one.  In  1592  Japan  sent  an  army  of 
200,000  men  to  conquer  the  country,  and  a  large 
number  of  these  men  had  been  selected  for  the  pur- 
pose because  they  were  Roman  Catholics,  and  Japan 
was  anxious  to  get  rid  of  them.  The  great  general 
known  as  Taiko  Sama  thought  this  was  an  excellent 
method  of  extermination,  but  when  the  war  was 
prolonged,  the  Christian  admiral  of  the  fleet  sent  to 
Japan  for  priests  and  commenced  missionary  work. 
Many  converts  were  baptized,  and  things  looked 
promising,  when  the  sudden  recall  of  the  army  to 
Japan,  followed  by  a  fierce  persecution,  completely 
stamped  out  the  work  in  both  countries. 

Korea  continued  her  policy  of  jealously  excluding 
all  foreigners  from  entering  the  country,  and  only 
occasionally  were  a  few  books  (printed  in  Chinese)  sent 
over  by  the  Jesuits  from  Peking.  Not  until  1784 
was  the  work  recommenced,  and  then  it  emanatedfrom 
a  purely  Korean  source.  A  young  man  called  Piek-i, 
of  great  physical  strength  and  intellectual  keenness, 
heard  that  the  father  of  a  friend  of  his  was  going  as 
ambassador  to  the  court  of  China,  and  that  his  son 
was  to  accompany  him.  He  therefore  begged  his 
friend,  Senghoun-i,  to  use  the  opportunity  to  visit  the 
foreigners  there,  in  order  to  study  their  science  and 
religion.  Senghoun-i  not  only  fulfilled  his  friend's 
request,  but  was  so  deeply  impressed  by  what  he 
heard  that  he  became  a  Christian  and  was  baptized, 
after  which  he  returned  to  his  native  land,  carrying 
books,  crosses,  and  pictures  with  him.      He  at  once 

35 


The  Face  of  Korea  ch.  ix 

sent  books  to  Piek-i,  who  retired  into  solitude  to  study 
them,  and  was  soon  convinced  by  pondering  over  the 
life  of  Christ  of  the  truth  of  what  he  read.  No 
sooner  did  Piek-i  become  a  Christian  than  he  set 
out  to  tell  his  friend,  Senghoun-i,  the  good  news. 
"The  great  God  of  Heaven,"  he  said,  "  has  had  pity 
on  the  millions  of  our  fellow-countrymen,  and  He 
desires  us  to  make  them  share  in  the  benefits  of  the 
Redemption  of  the  world.  It  is  the  command  of 
God.  We  cannot  be  deaf  to  His  call.  We  must 
spread  this  religion  and  evangelise  the  whole  world." 
How  thoroughly  these  words  express  the  feelings  and 
action  of  the  Korean  Christians  of  the  present  day  ! 

Piek-i  at  once  commenced  the  work  of  evangelisa- 
tion, and  success  attended  his  labours  ;  but  close  upon 
its  heels  came  that  persecution  which  was  to  con- 
tinue down  to  the  present  day.  There  were  no 
foreign  missionaries  to  help  or  instruct  the  youthful 
disciples,  and  naturally  they  were  unable  to  see  the 
bearing  of  Christian  teaching  upon  the  customs  to 
which  they  had  always  been  accustomed.  They 
evolved  from  their  books  a  conception  of  the  priest- 
hood, and  elected  from  their  number  a  sort  of  religious 
hierarchy,  which  existed  for  some  years  undisturbed. 
When  eventually  they  heard  that  this  was  not  sanc- 
tioned by  the  authorities  at  Peking,  and  that  they 
must  utterly  renounce  the  ancestor  worship,  which 
formed  the  basis  of  their  former  religious  belief,  and 
was  so  integral  a  part  of  the  national  life,  it  was  a 

severe  blow  to  them.    They  loyally  obeyed,  however, 

86 


ch.  ix      Roman    Catholicism   in   Korea 

the  mandate  to  destroy  the  ancestral  tablets,  and  a 
storm  of  persecution  swept  over  the  church. 

The  leaders  were  tortured  and  executed,  firmly- 
refusing  to  renounce  their  faith.  Nevertheless  the 
number  of  converts  increased,  and  ten  years  after  the 
baptism  of  Senghoun-i  at  Peking  there  were  4000 
Christians  in  Korea.  A  time  of  comparative  peace 
followed,  and  the  church  was  consolidated.  At  last 
a  priest  was  sent  over  from  China  called  Jean  dos 
Remedios,  in  1 79 1  ;  but  he  was  unable  to  penetrate 
into  the  country,  and  was  obliged  to  return  to  Peking. 
No  further  attempt  to  send  a  missionary  was  made  for 
several  years.  Then  a  young  Chinaman  called  Tsiou 
was  selected  for  the  perilous  task,  and  during  a  stormy 
night  he  succeeded  in  crossing  the  closely  guarded 
frontier  disguised  as  a  Korean.  Some  months  later  the 
news  of  his  arrival  became  known  to  the  authorities, 
and  they  ordered  his  arrest.  But  the  Koreans  who 
had  long  been  asking  for  a  missionary  to  be  sent  to 
them  guarded  him  with  the  utmost  loyalty,  and  the 
authorities  seized  instead  the  Koreans  who  had 
brought  him  into  the  country,  and  after  cruel  tortures 
which  utterly  failed  to  make  them  confess  his  where- 
abouts, they  were  put  to  death. 

Tsiou,  meanwhile,  mainly  owed  his  safety  to  a 
devoted  Christian  woman,  and  continued  his  labours 
unremittingly  in  secret,  while  she  prosecuted  an  im- 
portant work  in  teaching  a  large  number  of  girls. 
During  the  reign  of  the  king  at  that  time  on  the  throne 
of  Korea,  the  persecution  was  somewhat  limited,  but 

37 


The  Face  of  Korea  ch.  ix 

as  soon  as  he  died  in  1800  it  broke  out  afresh  with 
redoubled  energy.  Tsiou  was  at  last  captured,  and 
with  many  others  laid  down  his  life,  not  only  willingly, 
but  joyfully.  He  was  only  twenty-five  years  of  age. 
The  persecution  raged  till  the  next  year,  when  the 
kin":  issued  a  strange  edict,  to  the  effect  that  he  was 
determined  to  have  done  with  the  matter  ;  that  the 
Christians  filling  the  prisons  should  at  once  be  judged 
and  executed,  and  after  that  no  more  trials  were  to  be 
instituted.  JV1  any  were  publicly  executed,  while  others 
were  strangled  in  the  prisons  in  order  to  expedite 
matters.  Then  followed  a  lull,  and  the  church  had  a 
breathing  space,  but  all  its  leaders  had  been  put  to 
death,  and  it  was  reduced  to  a  pitiable  condition. 

The  church  sent  a  fresh  appeal  to  the  bishop  at 
Peking  to  send  them  another  priest,  but  he  was  utterly 
unable  to  grant  their  request,  for  the  mission  itself 
was  at  a  low  ebb  on  account  of  the  French  Revolution. 
No  missionaries  were  coming  out  to  the  foreign  field, 
and  no  promise  even  could  be  held  out  to  the  Koreans 
of  any  one  coming  to  them  in  the  future.  Again  and 
again  their  messenger  braved  untold  risks  to  carry 
their  piteous  appeal  to  China,  but  in  vain.  To  those 
who  like  myself  intensely  dislike  the  system  and  many 
of  the  tenets  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church,  while 
loving  and  profoundly  venerating  many  of  its  adher- 
ents, this  absence  of  the  priesthood  may  well  seem  a 
blessing  in  disguise. 

In  1 8 16,  for  the  fifth  time,  the  messenger  of  the 
Korean  Church  arrived   in   Peking,  and  the  bishop, 

88 


ch.  ix      Roman    Catholicism   in   Korea 

touched  by  their  importunity,  promised  to  send  them 
a  priest.  Plans  were  arranged  that  he  should  be  met 
and  secretly  taken  into  the  country,  for  persecution 
still  raged.  The  time  came,  but  at  the  rendezvous 
the  Koreans  found  no  priest  awaiting  them  ;  it  had 
proved  impossible  to  find  any  one  willing  to  undertake 
the  well-nigh  hopeless  mission.  Years  elapsed  :  they 
were  all  marked  by  the  same  record  of  faith  and 
suffering,  heroically  borne,  until  the  year  1827.  Then 
followed  three  or  four  years  of  comparative  peace,  and 
the  church  steadily  grew  in  numbers. 

A  letter  was  sent  by  it  to  the  Pope,  beseeching 
him  to  send  reinforcements  to  the  suffering  Christians. 
He  forwarded  the  appeal  to  the  directors  of  the 
"  Missions  Etrangeres  "  in  France,  which  had  recently 
been  re-established,  after  its  destruction  by  Napoleon 
in  1 805.  The  directors  forwarded  the  appeal,  making 
it  known  throughout  their  missions,  with  the  result 
that  Monseigneur  Brugniere,  a  missionary  in  Siam, 
volunteered  for  the  perilous  task  in  a  letter  burning 
with  apostolic  love  and  zeal.  His  offer  was  accepted 
by  the  society,  and  after  some  delay  he  set  out  accom- 
panied by  a  young  Chinese  priest,  educated  in  Naples, 
who  had  also  volunteered  for  the  service. 

Three  years  were  spent  by  them  in  weary  journey- 
ings  without  success,  owing  partly  to  the  jealousy  of 
a  Chinese  priest  who  had  been  sent  meanwhile  to 
Korea  by  the  Sacree  Congregation  de  la  Propagande, 
and  when  at  last  the  difficulties  were  on  the  eve  of 
being  overcome,  Monseigneur  Brugniere  was  taken 


The  Face  of  Korea  ch.  ix 

suddenly  ill  and  died  on  the  very  threshold  of  the 
promised  land. 

In  1836  the  first  European  missionary  penetrated 
into  the  country,  and  he  was  soon  followed  by  others 
in  steady  succession.  Despite  the  ceaseless  persecu- 
tions the  number  of  Christians  in  1838  was  estimated 
at  9000.  The  following  year  a  more  violent  persecu- 
tion than  ever  broke  out,  and  the  three  French  mis- 
sionaries were  betrayed  and  executed,  beside  many 
Koreans  of  all  ranks.  The  authorities  were  firmly 
resolved  to  exterminate  them  ;  but  the  attitude  of  the 
Korean  people  in  general  towards  the  Christians  was 
no  longer  what  it  had  been.  Whereas  previously  they 
had  been  despised,  now  they  were  respected,  for  the 
people  realised  that  there  was  a  power  in  this  religion 
which  nothing  could  annihilate.  The  Christians  had 
been  decimated  as  to  numbers,  and  such  as  had  escaped 
destruction  were  reduced  to  a  state  of  utter  destitu- 
tion, yet  still  they  remained  loyal  to  their  convictions. 
The  non-Christian  Koreans  came  to  the  rescue  and 
lent  them  the  necessary  grain  to  sow  their  fields,  well 
assured  that  they  would  honestly  repay  the  loan,  un- 
like what  would  have  been  the  case  with  some  others 
of  their  fellow-countrymen. 

The  foreign  missionaries  having  been  murdered, 
there  was  a  new  development  in  the  life  of  the  Korean 
Church  ;  for  the  first  time  they  had  two  priests  of 
their  own  nationality  consecrated  in  China.  They 
came  to  the  church  at  a  time  of  great  need,  for  per- 
secution was  raging  more  hotly  than  ever.     The  time 

90 


ch.  ix     Roman   Catholicism  in  Korea 

for  labour  was  but  brief  in  the  case  of  one  of  them, 
Andre  Kim.  His  undaunted  courage  and  zeal  led 
him,  at  the  age  of  twenty-five,  to  the  crown  of  mar- 
tyrdom, "  he  being  made  perfect  in  a  short  time, 
fulfilled  a  long  time.      For  his  soul  pleased  the  Lord." 

In  1850  we  again  find  two  French  missionaries  at 
work,  who  gave  their  testimony  as  to  the  steady 
growth  of  the  church,  despite  ceaseless  persecution. 
European  missionaries  could  only  enter  the  country 
by  stealth,  and  they  always  had  to  endure  untold  hard- 
ships in  the  prosecution  of  the  work,  which  could 
never  be  carried  on  openly.  Monseigneur  Daveluy 
described  it  in  these  words  :  "  Our  year  (1859)  may  be 
summed  up  thus — miseries  upon  miseries,  but  every- 
where the  great  protection  of  God,  and  in  the  midst 
of  tribulations  the  advance  of  the  apostolic  work." 

The  aggressiveness  of  the  Russians  in  the  north  in 
1866  goaded  the  Korean  Emperor  into  a  fierce  deter- 
mination to  exterminate  the  Christians  once  for  all. 
He  began  by  putting  to  death  all  the  French  mis- 
sionaries upon  whom  he  could  lay  his  hands,  and  nine 
out  of  twelve  were  taken.  They  seem  to  have  been 
put  to  the  torture  before  execution  ;  one  was  Bishop 
Daveluy,  who  had  spent  twenty-one  years  in  the 
country,  and  another  was  the  latest  recruit  who  had 
only  been  there  nine  months.  The  three  other  mis- 
sionaries succeeded  in  escaping  from  the  country,  and 
one  of  them  told  the  whole  sorrowful  story  to  the 
French  admiral  at  Tientsin,  which  resulted  in  the 
sending  of  an  expedition  against  Korea. 

91 


The  Face  of  Korea  ch.  ix 

Meanwhile  the  church  in  Korea  was  exposed  to 
relentless  persecution,  and  was  again  left  to  carry  on 
unaided  the  long  struggle  to  win  her  people  to  the 
Catholic  faith.  Here  Pere  Dallet's  narrative  ends  ; 
but  it  would  not  be  complete  without  adding  one  word 
as  to  the  position  and  numbers  of  the  Roman  Catholics 
in  Korea  at  the  present  day.  I  regret  that  it  only 
amounts  to  a  statistical  statement  drawn  from  Krose's 
Katholische  Missions  Statistik^  1908. 

The  mission  is  that  of  the  Paris  Seminary,  and  there 
are  45  European  priests,  53  sisters,and  10  native  priests 
now  working  in  different  parts  of  the  country.  Their 
native  membership  numbers  64,070  and  they  have 
8220  catechumens.  They  have  45  stations,  and  a 
considerably  larger  number  of  schools.  I  hoped  to 
have  visited  the  sisters  working  at  Seoul,  and  to 
have  been  able  to  give  some  personal  details,  but  was 
prevented  from  doing  so,  as  well  as  from  visiting 
various  institutions,  owing  to  the  facl  of  having  a 
severe  chill,  which  confined  me  to  bed  during  much 
of  the  time  I  was  there. 


92 


CHAPTER    X 

Seoul 

UNLIKE  Venice,  Seoul  should  not  be  ap- 
proached after  dark,  but  we  arrived  late  at 
night,and  drovein  rickshas  through  ill-lighted 
streets  and  over  endless  stones  to  our  destination, 
Miss  Pinder's  rest-house  for  missionaries,  excellently 
situated  in  the  upper  part  of  the  town. 

With  morning  light  we  received  a  different  and 
beautiful  impression  of  the  town.  It  is  encircled 
within  lofty  hills  of  granite  that  change  in  colour  at 
different  times  of  day  from  gold  and  steel  to  deep 
blue.  Formerly  high  walls  surrounded  it,  pierced  by 
noble  gateways,  but  these  walls  are  rapidly  disappear- 
ing to  form  material  for  building  Japanese  houses  of 
truly  Philistine  ugliness.  Every  day  sees  new  and 
deplorable  changes  in  the  way  of  picluresqueness,  and 
one  is  tempted  to  say  that  even  sanitation  may  be 
too  dearly  bought. 

We  started  on  a  lovely  spring  morning  to  visit 
the  old  palace,  which,  subject  to  certain  rules,  is  now 
thrown  open  to  the  public  at  a  small  charge.  The  first 
rule  is  that  visitors  must  be  respectably  dressed,  the 
next  that  they  must  not  catch  birds  or  fish,  and  so  on. 
The  Imperial   Palace  covers  a  large  area  of  ground, 

93 


The  Face  of  Korea  ch.  x 

and  is  surrounded  by  lofty  walls,  in  which  there  are 
eight  or  ten  doorways,  surmounted  by  the  typical 
curved  and  tiled  roofs.  It  looks  like  a  small  walled 
town,  and  used  to  contain  some  3000  persons.  The 
main  entrance  to  the  palace  is  at  the  end  of  a  wide 
thoroughfare,  adorned  with  fine  stone  animals  on 
pedestals,  and  flanked  by  official  buildings  on  each  side, 
which,  alas,  are  being  pulled  down  to  be  replaced 
by  Japanese  buildings.  This  thoroughfare  was  a 
gay  and  busy  scene.  The  Korean  dress  is  eminently 
picturesque,  and  many  of  the  women  wear  brilliant 
cloaks  of  lettuce  or  apple  green  with  scarlet  streamers  ; 
this  cloak  depends  from  the  crown  of  the  head  to  below 
the  knees  ;  the  sleeves  are  never  used,  nor  indeed  could 
they  be  used,  as  the  space  for  the  neck  is  filled  in 
with  a  piece  of  white  material  which  acts  as  a  cap  and 
raises  the  coat  several  inches  above  the  proper  height. 
This  strange  garment  is  said  to  have  been  originally  a 
man's  coat,  and  the  wives  used  to  wear  it  (as  so  many 
Eastern  women  do)  to  conceal  their  figures  in  the  streets. 
It  certainly  adds  a  most  charming  note  of  colour  to  the 
streets  of  Seoul.  The  ordinary  dress  of  the  women  is 
entirely  white  ;  it  consists  of  a  short  coat,  baggy 
trousers,  and  large  pleated  apron  completely  enclosing 
them  and  acting  as  a  skirt.  The  lower  class  women 
are  not  careful  to  prevent  there  being  a  gap  between 
the  upper  and  lower  garments  ;  as  they  seem  to  be 
always  nursing  a  baby,  they  no  doubt  think  the  cos- 
tume was  devised  to  suit  that  purpose.  My  sketch 
shows  the  dress  with  the  addition  of  the  winter  cap. 

94 


KOREAN    WOW  W 


ch.  x  Seoul 

On  passing  from  the  square  into  the  precincts  of 
the  palace  by  the  main  gateway  you  have  a  vision  of 
harmony  in  green  ;  a  delicate,  subtle  blending  of 
greens  in  courtyard  buildings,  and  pine-trees  behind 
them,  while  the  range  of  hills  towers  in  the  back- 
ground. A  beautiful  bridge  spans  a  sort  of  moat,  over 
which  grotesque  stone  creatures  lean  towards  the 
water  as  if  about  to  plunge  into  it.  On  the  right 
there  is  an  entrance  to  an  open  space  of  ground  where 
the  Japanese  are  erecting  a  boys'  school.  This  is  a 
hard  blow  to  Korean  pride,  but  unfortunately  our 
Japanese  allies  are  apparently  reckless  of  such  details, 
and  instead  of  trying  to  make  their  protectorate  as 
conciliatory  as  possible,  they  too  often  do  the  reverse  ; 
indeed  it  is  only  in  rare  instances  that  they  seem  to 
do  otherwise.  In  many  ways  they  are  doing  a  great 
deal  which  should  benefit  the  country,  but  in  such  a 
manner  as  to  make  it  thoroughly  obnoxious.  It  is 
of  little  use  to  repudiate  the  idea  of  annexation,  when 
they  trample  on  the  dearest  wishes  of  the  Korean, 
and  treat  him  as  a  vanquished  foe.  From  this  court- 
yard one  passes  into  others  where  the  sewing  women 
used  to  live,  for  there  are  numbers  of  courts  sur- 
rounded by  houses  varying  in  size  and  importance,  but 
all  of  them  in  a  state  of  decay. 

The  palace  is  the  most  beautiful  and  cherished  spot 
in  the  capital,  and  it  is  sad  to  see  it  falling  to  pieces 
with  alarming  rapidity,  while  the  part  inhabited  by 
the  Empress  was  absolutely  destroyed  and  its  very 
stones  used  in  the  construction  of  other  buildings. 

95 


The  Face  of  Korea  ch.  x 

The  great  audience  chamber  is  a  glorious  colour 
study  in  green,  Venetian  red,  gold,  and  blue,  with 
lofty  pillars  stretching  up  to  the  ornate  roof,  which 
culminates  in  a  centrepiece  of  gold  dragons,  some- 
what different  in  design  from  the  Chinese  dragon. 
Although  it  is  only  one  storey,  the  roof  has  been  so 
built  so  as  to  give  it  a  great  appearance  of  height. 
All  round  the  hall  are  latticed  windows,  which  could 
be  set  open  for  large  audiences.  The  hall  is  sur- 
rounded on  three  sides  by  a  fine  large  paved  court, 
through  the  centre  of  which  runs  a  double  line  of 
stones  like  milestones  ;  they  mark  the  places  where 
the  courtiers  used  to  stand  according  to  their  rank 
when  waiting  their  turn  for  audience  on  state 
occasions. 

Court  beyond  court  the  palace  stretches  to  the 
Emperor's  private  apartments,  which  were  more 
modest  in  size  than  the  public  halls. 

The    Emperor   used    to   rise   about    noon,   so   the 

morning    hours    were    quite    quiet,    no    unnecessary 

labour  being  permitted.     The  imperial  reveille  was 

announced    by    a    roll    of    drums,    summoning     all 

courtiers,  physicians,  and  attendants  to  be  in  readiness 

for    his     Majesty's    appearance.      Then    the    courts 

became    thronged    like    a   busy    hive    of   bees  ;    the 

courtiers  got  out  of  their  chairs  at  the  entrance,  and 

were  only  allowed  to  bring  in  one  or  two  attendants, 

while  the  remainder  of  their  retinue   waited  outside. 

The  court  dress  consists  of  a  beautiful  myrtle  green 

coat,    a    square    breastplate    (betokening    the   official 

96 


ch.  x  Seoul 

rank)  fastened  on  by  a  thick  belt  standing  out  several 
inches  from  the  body,  black  velvet  top-boots  with 
white  soles,  and  a  peculiar  tall  black  cap  made  of 
horsehair,  with  ears  of  the  same  material  standing 
out  on  each  side  of  it.  This  costume  forms  the 
design  on  the  cover  of  the  book,  and  it  was  a  Korean 
gentleman  who  kindly  gave  me  the  opportunity  of 
sketching  it.  This  costume  was  also  worn  by 
eunuchs  when  on  duty  in  the  palace.  As  in  China, 
eunuchs  have  played  a  sorry  part  in  the  political  game 
in  Korea. 

The  ordinary  business  of  the  court  used  to  be  trans- 
acted during  the  afternoon.  Sometimes  one  of  the 
ministers  of  the  foreign  legations  would  be  received 
in  audience  by  his  Majesty,  and  sometimes  there 
would  be  a  special  function  with  regard  to  ancestral 
worship.  Once  a  year  the  Emperor  would  go  to  a 
certain  field  outside  Seoul  (which  was  pointed  out  to 
us  near  the  east  gate  of  the  city)  to  plough  the  first 
furrow  of  the  year. 

After  sundown  the  gates  of  the  palace  were  shut 
and  barred,  and  no  one  might  go  in  or  out  without 
special  permission  of  the  Emperor.  During  the  night 
state  business  was  transacted,  and  not  only  was  his 
Majesty  informed  of  matters  of  importance,  but  he 
was  also  entertained  with  the  small  talk  of  the  palace. 
There  were  always  one  or  two  Ministers  of  State  on 
duty  throughout  the  night,  and  they  left  the  palace 
at  daybreak,  when  the  Emperor  retired  to  rest. 

To  the  left  of  the  Emperor's  private  apartments 

97  g 


The  Face  of  Korea  ch.  x 

there  is  a  gateway  leading  out  into  a  place  of  delight, 
a  large  walled  garden  containing  a  spacious  open 
summer-house  surrounded  by  water.  It  is  on  a  stone 
platform,  and  consists  of  two  storeys,  supported  on 
handsome  pillars  and  devoid  of  walls.  The  roof  was 
of  the  usual  Chinese  type,  with  overhanging  eaves 
enriched  with  carvings  painted  blue,  green,  and  gold, 
contrasting  finely  with  the  Venetian  red  of  the  balcony 
and  ceilings.  A  flight  of  steps  leads  down  from  it 
to  the  pond  which  is  full  of  lotus  blossoms,  below 
which  gold  fish  may  be  discerned  in  peaceful  security. 
Here  again  the  hand  of  time  is  heavy,  walls  are  falling 
down,  steps  dropping  asunder,  and  the  brickwork 
beginning  to  crumble  at  the  present  time.  It  is  only 
used  for  Japanese  garden  parties,  and  one  would  fain 
hope  that  the  Japanese  love  of  beauty  will  conquer  pre- 
judice sufficiently  to  save  it  from  the  ravages  of  time 
and  neglect  before  it  is  too  late.  Beautiful  pine-trees 
and  hills  form  a  worthy  setting  to  this  jewel. 

The  Dowager  Empress  Hong  had  her  own  residence 
and  separate  establishment  in  the  rear  of  this  part  of 
the  palace,  where  she  was  frequently  visited  by  the 
Emperor,  usually  accompanied  by  the  Crown  Prince. 
In  Korea  it  is  considered  the  duty  of  every  son,  or 
adopted  son,  to  visit  his  mother  daily.  Every  after- 
noon the  Dowager  Empress  sent  two  or  three  of  her 
ladies-in-waiting  to  present  her  compliments  to  his 
Majesty,  and  to  inquire  after  his  health.  The  ladies 
who  were  sent  on  this  errand  had  to  wear  some 
additional  garment  for  the  purpose,  or  to  have  their 

98 


ch.  x  Seoul 

hair  dressed  over  an  immense  frame.  The  residence 
of  the  Dowager  Empress  was  enclosed  within  high 
walls,  and  the  entrance  gate  was  hung  with  dark  blue 
cloth,  ornamented  with  balls  of  white  cotton  wool, 
so  that  when  the  gates  were  open  no  one  should  be 
able  to  see  into  the  courtyard.  Two  of  the  palace 
police,  men  of  superior  position  to  the  city  police, 
were  stationed  as  guards  outside  the  gates.  After 
the  death  of  the  Empress  Min,  the  Crown  Prince 
occupied  the  same  residence  as  the  Emperor,  and  they 
were  rarely  separated  from  one  another.  During  the 
Russo-Japanese  war  it  was  reported  by  some  of  the 
war  correspondents  that  the  Emperor  had  married  the 
daughter  of  an  American  missionary,  and  that  she 
was  called  the  Empress  Emily  Brown.  As  this  story 
obtained  a  certain  amount  of  credence  in  America  I 
am  glad  to  be  able  to  state  publicly  that  there  was 
not  a  word  of  truth  in  the  rumour.  The  Emperor 
was  devoted  to  the  memory  of  the  Empress  Min,  and 
has  not  married  again.  For  this  and  the  other  details 
of  palace  life  I  am  indebted  to  a  friend  who  was  at 
that  time  closely  connected  with  the  court,  and  who 
continued  so  for  many  years  afterwards. 

The  Crown  Princess  had  her  own  house  and  estab- 
lishment like  the  Dowager  Empress,  but  on  a  smaller 
scale.  Every  afternoon  she  went  to  pay  her  respects 
to  the  Emperor,  attended  by  her  ladies-in-waiting 
and  eunuchs,  and  they  might  not  leave  the  royal 
presence  until  dismissed.  This  custom  was  not  con- 
fined to  royalty,  but  in  the  Korean  nobility  etiquette 

99 


The  Face  of  Korea  ch.  x 

demands  that  daughters  should  pay  their  respects  to 
fathers,  and  daughters-in-law  to  their  fathers-in-law, 
and  that  they  should  remain  standing  until  dismissed 
or  asked  to  sit  down.  According  to  the  usual  custom 
in  the  East  the  wives  of  the  sons  live  in  the  same 
compound  as  the  father,  frequently  in  the  same  build- 
ing as  his  wife  and  daughters,  so  the  carrying  out  of 
this  custom  is  a  simple  matter. 

It  may  be  of  interest  to  know  some  details  of  the 
life  of  the  women  in  an  eastern  palace.  They  come 
into  the  palace  as  children  of  nine  or  ten  years  old, 
bright,  good-looking  (the  Korean  ideal  of  beauty  is 
very  different  from  ours),  and  intelligent  girls.  They 
are  trained  by  other  girls  a  year  or  two  older  than 
themselves,  each  for  her  own  department.  As  soon 
as  the  children  enter  service  the  pigtail  of  childhood 
is  abandoned,  and  the  hair  is  dressed  in  a  knot,  resting 
on  the  nape  of  the  neck.  This  signifies  marriage  in 
the  case  of  all  other  Korean  maidens  ;  but  marriage 
is  prohibited  in  the  case  of  those  who  enter  service 
in  the  palace,  although  it  is  admittedly  the  duty  of 
every  woman.  The  girls  are  dressed  in  white  silk 
jackets  and  long  mazarine  blue  silk  skirts.  The  little 
ones  are  sometimes  allowed  to  wear  pink  or  yellow 
silk  jackets,  but  never  the  elder  ones. 

If  the  attendants  commit  any  serious  offence,  it  is 
reported  to  the  head  of  the  department  ;  those,  for 
instance,  who  acl:  as  ladies'  maids  are  reported  to  the 
head  lady  in  waiting,  those  in  the  kitchen  to  the 
head  housekeeper.      One  particular  woman  in  this 


ch.  x  Seoul 

department  had  been  responsible  for  over  fifty  years 
for  the  dressing  of  the  fish,  yet  she  was  only  sixty-five 
when  she  mentioned  the  fa<5t,  so  her  responsibilities 
had  begun  early. 

There  are,  however,  alleviations  to  the  lot  of  the 
palace  attendants,  for  they  have  alternately  ten  days' 
duty  and  ten  days'  holiday.  The  royal  ladies  have 
not  only  women  attendants,  but  also  eunuchs,  one  of 
the  worst  curses  of  life  in  an  eastern  palace.  They 
are  required  to  carry  messages  from  one  department 
to  another,  and  also  to  perform  other  duties.  One 
of  the  eunuchs  belonging  to  the  household  of  the 
Dowager  Empress  used  to  read  aloud  to  her  a  small 
daily  Korean  newspaper.  While  so  doing  he  sat  out- 
side the  window,  where  he  could  be  heard,  but  whence 
he  could  not  see  inside,  because  the  window  was  or 
paper.  Korea  is  like  China  in  respecl:  of  windows, 
and  is  only  now  beginning  to  replace  paper  by  glass. 

All  this  old  palace  life  which  I  have  been  describing 
came  to  an  end  not  long  after  the  death  of  the  Dowager 
Empress  in  1904.  We  wandered  among  the  deso- 
late ruins  which  marked  the  site  of  her  residence. 
Finally  we  reached  a  grove  of  pines  where  is  a  strange 
memorial — more  like  a  bandstand  than  anything  else 
— it  marks  the  site  where  the  remains  of  the  late 
Empress  Min  were  burned,  after  she  had  been  cruelly 
done  to  death  by  the  Japanese  in  1895.  In  vain  her 
ladies  had  closed  up  round  her  and  tried  to  save  her  ; 
in  vain  had  one  of  them  declared  herself  to  be  the 
Empress  and  paid  the  penalty — in  vain,  alas  ! — with 


The  Face  of  Korea  ch.  x 

her  own  life.  She  was  hunted  from  the  very  presence 
of  the  Emperor  to  her  own  apartments  in  the  middle 
of  the  night,  and  there  put  to  the  sword.  In  1897 
the  court  removed  to  the  new  palace  in  the  western 
seclion  of  the  city,  where  the  deposed  Emperor  still 
lives. 

Another  day  we  visited  the  mausoleum  erected  to 
her  memory,  in  a  beautiful  spot  some  miles  to  the  east 
of  the  city.  Passing  through  the  east  gate  we  took  a 
tram  through  the  suburbs  till  we  reached  the  terminus, 
and  there  turning  off  into  the  woods  we  walked  along 
a  beautiful  shady  road  for  nearly  a  mile.  One  or  two 
parties  of  Japanese  were  the  only  people  we  met,  and 
they  were  evidently  bent  on  picnicking,  a  favourite 
form  of  amusement  among  them.  We  had  an  Ameri- 
can friend  with  us,  and  when  we  got  to  our  destination 
she  feared  we  would  not  be  allowed  to  climb  the  hill 
on  which  the  monument  stood.  I  decided  not  to 
wait  for  permission,  and  hastily  ran  up  to  a  beautiful 
spot  commanding  a  fine  view  over  the  plain  with  the 
tomb  immediately  below  me,  and  set  to  work  with  the 
utmost  despatch.  I  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing  the  other 
visitors  arrive  and  get  sent  away,  and  then  the  guard 
came  up  to  dislodge  me.  I  met  him  with  a  disarming 
smile,  and  showed  him  the  sketch, ignoring  his  obvious 
intention.  Our  American  friend  was  greatly  con- 
cerned as  to  the  righteousness  of  feigning  ignorance, 
for  she  understood  and  translated  all  they  were  saying, 
such  as  that  no  one  was  allowed  there  except  people 
of  great  importance,  &c.  &c.     Further  shouting  from 


ch.  x  Seoul 

below  to  send  us  away  was  followed  by  the  slow  climb- 
ing of  the  hill  by  other  officials.  I  greeted  them  in 
the  same  way  as  the  first,  and  it  had  an  equally  dis- 
arming effect  ;  they  seemed  quite  nonplussed,  and 
before  they  could  decide  how  to  a6t  the  sketch  was 
finished,  and  I  presented  them  with  an  acceptable 
douceur^  and  said  good-bye.  Their  refusal  to  allow 
people  to  approach  the  tomb,  where  only  the  little 
finger  of  the  Empress  is  buried,  is  quite  reasonable, 
for  the  dearest  Korean  feelings  have  been  outraged 
by  the  wanton  disregard  shown  by  visitors  who  have 
amused  themselves  by  pretending  to  ride  the  stone 
animals  and  otherwise  "  fooling  "  about  the  spot. 

Outside  Seoul  there  are  many  graves  of  humbler 
persons,  but  selected  with  equal  care,  and  I  have  made 
a  sketch  of  one  showing  the  kind  of  horseshoe  mound 
within  which  they  are  most  frequently  placed.  It 
was  a  beautiful  spot,  fragrant  with  wild  azalea  just 
coming  into  bloom.  It  is  well  described  in  Dr.  Gale's 
"  Korean  Sketches  "  (p.  216).  "A  grave  is  chosen  on  a 
mountain  front  if  possible,  having  two  arm-like  ridges 
on  either  hand,  one  called  the  dragon  side  and  one 
the  tiger.  There  should  be  a  mountain  directly  in 
the  foreground  called  the  An-san,  to  stand  as  a  support 
to  the  family  of  the  dead,  otherwise  the  grave  luck 
would  flow  down  the  valley  and  be  dissipated.  There 
must  be  free  exit  for  streams  or  surface  waters.  This 
is  the  grave  site  in  outline.  Then  come  the  special 
mountain  peaks  that  are  looked  for  on  either  side  of 
the  An-san.     One  will  mean  long  life  to  the  family, 

103 


The  Face  of  Korea  ch.  x 

another  a  numerous  posterity,  another  rank,  another 
wealth.  Every  mountain  peak  to  right  or  left  hand 
has  its  special  message,  which  the  geomancer  (the  man 
who  has  selected  the  site)  holds  in  his  professional 
grasp." 

There  is  not  much  to  be  seen  in  the  town  of  Seoul, 
though  it  boasts  a  museum  and  zoological  gardens. 
The  present  palace  is  beautifully  situated  near  the  east 
gate  amongst  fine  pine-trees,  and  the  present  Emperor 
lives  a  secluded  life  there  since  the  Japanese  insisted 
upon  his  ascending  the  throne.  Naturally  these 
buildings  are  not  open  to  the  public. 

There  are  various  missionary  bodies  at  work  in  the 
capital,  where  they  have  their  headquarters,  but  all 
the  leading  people  seemed  to  be  away  itinerating  in 
the  country.  The  Roman  Catholics  and  Anglican 
Missions  are  active,  but,  as  one  of  its  members  in- 
formed me,  the  work  of  the  latter  has  only  been  fully 
developed  during  the  last  few  years.  The  Young 
Men's  Christian  Association  have  fine  premises  pre- 
sented by  an  American,  and  the  Salvation  Army  are 
the  newest  comers  in  the  field. 

The  Japanese  have  built  fine  banks,  post-office, 
railway  station,  and  other  public  offices,  but  they  prove 
desperately  slow  in  transacting  business.  I  had  already 
experienced  in  Moukden  that  it  required  nearly  an 
hour  to  get  a  few  pounds  on  a  letter  of  credit  at  a 
Japanese  bank,  and  here  they  were  equally  slow.  To 
my  joy  I  saw  a  nice  slab  of  Indian  ink  and  a  brush 
on  the  counter  for  signing  names,  for  the  Japanese,  and 

104 


KOREAN   GRAVES 


ch.  x  Seoul 

Chinese,  and  Koreans  sti\\  paint  instead  of  writing  their 
signatures.  I  thought  I  would  utilise  the  time  by 
completing  a  sketch  in  my  book  while  the  clerk  was 
busy  calculating  how  much  the  sum  I  wanted  would 
come  to  in  Japanese  money.  I  was  soon  disabused 
of  the  idea,  for  the  whole  staff  of  the  bank  collected 
round  to  watch  the  proceeding,  including  the  clerk 
who  was  doing  my  business.  No  doubt  they  found 
it  a  pleasant  distraclion,  and  time  seemed  to  be  of  no 
importance.  Their  calculations  are  all  done  with  an 
abacus,  and  when  I  asked  them  simply  to  double  the 
sum  I  had  originally  asked  for,  it  took  exaclly  eighteen 
minutes  to  calculate  twice  five  !  It  is  obvious  that 
the  interests  charged  on  banking  transa6tions  must 
be  large  to  cover  the  cost  of  stately  buildings  and 
numberless  clerks,  combined  apparently  with  a  mini- 
mum of  business.  The  Japanese  have  imposed  a 
Japanese  currency  on  the  country,  and  the  bulk  of  the 
money  used  does  equally  for  both  countries,  but  there 
is  a  small  quantity  of  coin  bearing  the  Korean  stamp 
which  is  not  current  in  Japan. 

It  seems  absurd  to  the  traveller  to  hear  the  Japanese 
pretending  that  they  have  not  annexed  Korea,  for  they 
have,  practically  speaking,  taken  possession  of  every- 
thing in  the  most  high-handed  manner  ;  they  have  dis- 
possessed the  Koreans  of  all  riparian  rights,  of  fishing, 
game  shooting,  of  the  coasting  trade,  of  large  quanti- 
ties of  land,  for  which  a  purely  nominal  price  has  been 
given,  and  which  the  Koreans  have  been  forced  to  sell 
contrary  to  their  wishes.    The  railways,  post,  and  tele- 

105 


The  Face  of  Korea  ch.  x 

graph,  the  currency,  taxation,  and  customs,  are  entirely 
in  their  hands  ;  what  is  left  for  them  to  appropriate  ? 
The  bitterness  of  the  bondage  is  aggravated  by  the 
fact  that  so  few  of  the  Japanese  trouble  to  learn  the 
language,  so  that  misunderstandings  constantly  arise. 
They  have  given  different  names  to  the  places,  even 
to  the  capital.  The  courtesy,  which  is  such  a  universal 
charadteristic  of  the  Japanese  at  home,  he  has  left 
behind.  However,  it  is  to  be  remembered  that  this 
is  a  transitional  period,  and  it  is  ardently  to  be  desired 
that  the  Japanese  Government  will  continue  their  good 
attempts  to  withdraw  those  who  have  been  creating 
disturbances  and  to  place  a  better  class  of  officials  in 
power.  Some  progress  has  already  been  made  in 
this  direction,  especially  with  regard  to  the  judges. 
The  Koreans  are  reaping  the  harvest  of  neglecled 
opportunities  and  churlish  exclusiveness,  and  it  is  a 
bitter  harvest. 

One  of  the  saddest  losses  Koreans  have  suffered  of 
late  has  been  that  of  Prince  Ito,  their  best  friend 
amongst  their  rulers,  the  irony  of  fate  being  shown  in 
the  fact  that  it  was  a  Korean  who  murdered  the 
Japanese  prince.  The  murderer  was  taken  for  trial 
to  Japan,  and  faced  his  death  sentence  with  great 
equanimity.  As  he  was  engaged  at  the  time  in 
writing  a  poem,  the  authorities  postponed  his  execu- 
tion for  ten  days  in  order  that  he  might  have  time 
to  finish  it  ! 


106 


CHAPTER    XI 

Fusan 

THE  journey  from  Seoul  to  Fusan  is  through 
lovely  cultivated  land,  everywhere  varied  by 
hill  scenery,  of  which  it  has  been  estimated 
that  three-fourths  of  Korea  consists.  The  largest  pro- 
portion of  grain  cultivated  is  rice,  but  wheat,  barley, 
beans,  millet,  and  other  cereals  grow  equally  well. 
It  is  truly  a  land  flowing  with  milk  and  honey,  has 
a  beautiful  climate,  and  if  well  governed  ought  to  be 
most  happy  and  prosperous.  It  is  not  subject  to 
earthquakes,  nor  to  any  other  great  disasters,  such  as 
floods  and  plagues.  Last  year,  it  is  true,  cholera 
broke  out  in  Seoul,  but  by  the  splendid  exertions  of 
the  Japanese  it  was  quickly  brought  under  control 
with  small  loss  of  life. 

As  we  travelled  southward  the  land  gradually  be- 
came greener  and  the  fruit-trees  showed  their  delicate 
blossoms.  Over  the  willows  there  was  a  delicate 
film  of  green,  and  the  pink  azaleas  on  the  hill-sides 
glowed  in  the  evening  light.  The  journey  of  twenty 
hours  seemed  long,  however,  for  we  were  travelling  in 
an  American  car,  and  it  taxed  the  ingenuity  even  of  the 

small  and  supple  Japanese  officers,  who  were  our  fellow- 

107 


The  Face  of  Korea  ch.  xi 

travellers,  to  make  themselves  comfortable  in  the  first- 
class  carriage.  The  attendant  brought  slippers  all 
round,  and  when  the  officers  had  divested  themselves 
of  their  boots  and  unrolled  their  rugs  and  eider- 
downs, it  became  an  interesting  study  to  see  them  try 
to  accommodate  their  forms  to  the  small  seats  for  two. 
As  they  found  a  resting-place  for  their  heads,  their 
feet  crept  up  to  the  window-panes,  or  had  to  curl 
up  like  a  spring.  Happy  the  man  who  can  sleep 
undisturbed  in  such  quarters,  with  the  constant 
noise  of  slamming  doors  and  traffic  passing  through 
the  car,  which  is  the  American  ideal  of  railway 
comfort  ! 

The  day  wore  away,  and  as  we  were  nearing  Fusan 
the  attendant  came  to  brush  us  up  and  help  us  on  with 
our  coats  ;  he  also  brought  the  surprising  news  that 
our  friends  at  the  next  station  had  telephoned  up  the 
line  to  say  they  were  coming  to  meet  us,  and  that 
we  should  be  ready  to  get  out  at  the  next  station. 
Accordingly  we  did  so,  and  our  friends  told  us  they 
had  learnt  that  the  boat  by  which  we  were  going  to 
Wonsan  would  not  start  till  the  following  morning, 
and  that  we  should  not  even  be  allowed  to  go  on 
board  till  the  next  day.  We  were  only  too  glad  to 
accept  the  kind  hospitality  which  they  offered  us 
instead  of  the  cold  comfort  of  a  Japanese  hotel  at  the 
port.  It  was  very  interesting  to  hear  of  work  being 
carried  on  by  the  Australian  Presbyterians  in  this 
part  of  the  peninsula,  though  they  have  not  had  as 
rapid  a  success  as  their  friends  in  the  north.     They 

108 


tffi 


FUSAN 


A    KOREAN    VILLAGE 


ch.  xi  Fusan 

follow  the  same  policy,  the  result  being  a  strong  self- 
supporting  church. 

I  cannot  omit  a  word  about  the  experience  of  one 
of  their  new  workers,  as  it  shows  the  extraordinary 
results  of  Christianity  in  another  mission  field. 
This  Scotsman  only  went  to  the  New  Hebrides 
some  twelve  years  ago  to  work  among  the  former 
cannibals.  In  order  to  do  this  more  effectually  they 
gave  him,  some  time  since,  a  motor  boat  to  prosecute 
work  among  the  islands ;  this  boat  he  found  invaluable, 
being  an  experienced  seaman  and  working  it  himself. 
Unfortunately,  owing  to  an  attack  of  black- water  fever, 
he  was  obliged  to  give  up  work  there  by  the  doctor's 
orders,  consequently  the  boat  was  left  for  the  use  of 
his  successor.  The  natives  were  greatly  distressed  at 
his  leaving,  and  presented  him  with  no  less  a  sum  than 
£250  to  commence  work  in  his  new  sphere.  He 
has  decided  to  start  a  similar  work  among  the  count- 
less islands  round  the  Southern  coast  of  Korea  as  soon 
as  he  has  sufficiently  mastered  the  language.  The 
generosity  involved  in  such  a  gift  is  hard  to  over- 
estimate. 

It  may  interest  people  to  know  that  the  working 
expenses  of  the  motor  boat  comes  to  less  than  one 
penny  a  mile,  namely  about  half  the  cost  of  itiner- 
ating on  the  mainland. 

Fusan  is  a  beautiful  spot,  in  an  ideal  situation  for 
a  harbour,  but  the  town  itself  has  all  the  ugly 
characteristics  of  a  busy  seaport.  The  bay  is  sur- 
rounded with  high  hills,  showing  a  picturesque  and 

109 


The  Face  of  Korea  ch.  xi 

varied  outline,  with  fruit-trees  and  other  vegetation, 
giving  a  brighter  note  of  colour  to  the  sombre  pine- 
trees  which  cling  to  their  rugged  sides.  The  natural 
excellence  of  the  harbour,  which  is  almost  closed  by  an 
island,  leaving  a  channel  for  ships  on  both  sides,  has 
been  further  improved  by  the  removal  of  some  of  the 
spurs  of  the  hills  so  as  to  give  larger  space  for  wharf- 
age. There  is  no  doubt  that  Fusan  will  continue  to 
grow  in  size  and  importance,  as  it  is  the  terminus  of 
the  railway  and  the  nearest  point  for  reaching  Japan. 
The  ferry  to  Shimonoseki  only  takes  twenty  hours, 
and  plies  daily  in  both  directions.  In  the  centre  of 
the  town  is  a  beautifully  wooded  little  hill  which  has 
been  laid  out  by  the  Japanese  with  great  taste.  Long 
flights  of  handsome  stone  steps  lead  direclly  upwards 
under  the  shade  of  overhanging  pine-trees,  and  wind- 
ing paths  lead  more  gently  to  the  summit,  offering 
alluring  seats  from  which  to  admire  the  bay.  There 
is  a  succession  of  Shinto  shrines  which  seem  to  be 
much  frequented.  The  worshipper  approaches,  claps 
his  hands  loudly,  or  rings  the  bell  to  call  the  attention 
of  the  deity,  and  then  kneels  for  a  moment  in  prayer. 
Some  of  the  worshippers  tossed  up  beans  as  they 
knelt,  or  offered  money,  and  there  were  not  a  few 
more  costly  offerings  hanging  up — long  tresses  of 
black  hair.  These  temples  are  of  recent  date,  and 
war  trophies  were  also  placed  in  front  of  them. 
Some  of  the  passers-by  paid  no  further  attention  to 
the  shrine  than  to  bow  and  remove  their  hats,  but  on 
the   whole   they  elicited  a   considerable   amount  of 


ch.  xi  Fusan 

worship,  and  it  is  clear  that  the  Japanese  are  more 
attached  to  their  religion  than  some  people  give  them 
credit  for.  In  this  case  they  have  selected  the  most 
beautiful  and  most  conspicuous  place  in  the  town  for 
their  temples  ;  have  made  a  noble  approach  to  them, 
and  planted  the  little  terraces  with  lovely  flowering 
shrubs,  which  were  just  bursting  into  blossom.  The 
hill-sides  were  gay  with  wild  azalea  and  fragrant  with 
the  scent  of  the  pines. 

We  made  an  early  start,  as  they  assured  us  that  it 
would  be  too  late  if  we  went  into  town  by  the  morn- 
ing train,  so  a  primeval  bus  was  chartered  to  convey 
us  over  the  rugged  roads,  and  we  arrived  at  the  office 
at  9.30,  only  to  be  told  that  the  steamer  would  not 
start  till  4  or  5  o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  We  learnt 
afterwards  that  a  large  fine  steamer  left  the  night 
before,  although  they  so  confidently  assured  us  there 
was  none.  It  is  a  hard  trial  of  patience  to  travel 
in  Korea. 

At  the  office  of  the  Steamship  Company  we  pro- 
cured tickets,  and  were  amused  at  having  to  give  our 
ages  to  be  inscribed  on  the  tickets,  which  cost  yen 
14.70  (about  twenty-nine  shillings)  to  Wonsan,  first 
class,  a  passage  of  between  thirty  to  forty  hours  in 
length.  The  boat  was  a  fair  size,  and  was  heavily 
laden  with  timber  and  petroleum.  The  staff  was 
entirely  Japanese,  and  little  English  was  understood, 
but  European  requirements  and  wishes  did  not  need 
to  be  explained,  so  we  had  no  difficulty.  A  more 
lovely  sight  than  the  bay  as  we  steamed  out  of  it 


The  Face  of  Korea  ch.  xi 

past  the  four  sentinel  rocks  at  the  entrance  in  the 
level  rays  of  the  setting  sun  would  be  hard  to  imagine, 
and  one  could  not  but  remember  how  securely  hidden 
the  Japanese  fleet  lay  there  in  wait  for  the  Russian 
before  the  great  battle  in  which  the  Baltic  fleet  was 
destroyed. 

Our  course  followed  the  outline  of  the  coast  pretty 
closely,  and  the  mountains  still  had  touches  of  snow 
on  them,  like  veins  outlining  their  shapes.  The 
mountains  come  quite  close  down  on  to  the  shore, 
and  little  cultivation  is  to  be  seen  on  this  side  of  the 
peninsula.  On  the  eastern  coast  of  Korea  there  is  a 
tide  of  only  six  or  eight  inches,  whereas  on  the 
western  coast  it  is  no  less  than  twenty-seven  feet 
three  inches,  one  of  the  highest  tides  in  the  world. 

There  were  few  birds  visible — only  an  occasional  sea- 
gull or  cormorant,  and  the  white-sailed  boats  that  we 
had  seen  thronging  the  bay  of  Fusan  were  conspicuous 
by  their  absence.  Hour  after  hour  passed  without  a 
sign  of  life  being  visible.  Fortunately  the  sea  was 
calm,  and  the  next  morning  but  one  we  reached 
Wonsan  at  about  6  a.m.  We  had  to  land  in  small  boats, 
and  were  met  by  a  party  of  missionaries,  with  whom 
we  walked  through  a  good  part  of  the  modern  town. 
It  is  well  laid  out,  and  has  wide  roads  leading  to  the 
quarters  where  the  American  missionaries  live  on 
the  slopes  of  hills  overlooking  the  sea  and  embowered 
in  trees.     The  Japanese  name  for  Wonsan  is  Gensan. 


CHAPTER    XII 

The  Diamond  Mountains 

OUR  friends  had  kindly  begun  before  our  arrival 
at  Wonsan  to  make  arrangements  for  the 
trip  which  we  wished  to  take  through  the 
Diamond  Mountains,  so  that  a  few  hours  sufficed  to 
complete  them.  An  attractive  route  was  suggested  by 
a  native  who  knew  the  passes  ;  the  time  at  our  disposal 
was  only  eight  days,  so  we  were  obliged  to  give  up  all 
hope  of  doing  the  principal  pass,  which  is  lofty  and 
very  arduous  for  travellers.  The  one  selected  took  us 
through  a  fine  part  of  the  chain  of  mountains  which 
runs  down  the  eastern  coast  of  Korea,  and  enabled  us 
to  visit  an  important  monastery.  We  started  with 
four  ponies  and  three  men  to  look  after  them,  and 
the  price  stipulated  was  64  yen  (a  little  over  £6), 
the  distance  to  be  covered  being  approximately 
225  miles.  It  was  probable  that  the  men  would  get 
some  loads  for  the  return  journey,  but  that  could  not 
be  counted  on.  We  had  no  saddles,  so  our  bed  bags 
had  to  take  their  place,  but  they  made  precarious  seats. 
At  first  one  thought  it  would  be  only  possible  to  re- 
tain one's  seat  by  holding  on  all  the  time,  and  the 
thought  of  the  necessity  of  using  a  handkerchief  owing 
to  a  severe  cold  in  the  head  was  an  anxious  one,  but 

113  H 


The  Face  of  Korea  ch.  xii 

time  soon  made  us  able  to  dispense  with  any  grip. 
Mr.  Chiao  found  his  bedding  a  much  more  satisfactory 
seat  than  ours,  for  the  usual  Chinese  bed  bag  seems  to 
have  been  specially  devised  for  the  purpose  ;  he  looked 
completely  at  his  ease,  though  he  had  never  ridden  be- 
fore, and  he  hopped  on  and  offhis  pony  with  astonish- 
ing rapidity.  The  fourth  beast  carried  our  two  modest 
baskets  of  stores  and  clothing,  and  the  cots  which  had 
been  kindly  lent  to  us  for  the  occasion.  Having  lost 
our  umbrellas  we  bought  Korean  paper  waterproof 
coats,  at  the  cost  of  about  one  shilling  each,  and  water- 
proof paper  for  lining  our  other  things,  as  there  was 
some  fear  of  wet  weather  on  the  mountains. 

We  set  off  about  2  o'clock  with  the  intention  of 
doing  fifteen  miles  that  evening,  but  it  is  always 
difficult  to  make  a  good  start,  and  various  hindrances 
delayed  us,  such  as  a  ferry-boat  with  no  ferryman, 
and  the  boat  on  the  wrong  side  of  the  river.  After 
a  little  time  a  woman  came  slowly  down  to  the  ferry 
and  got  into  the  boat,  so  our  men  exhorted  her  to 
pull  herself  across  by  means  of  the  rope  ;  'this,  how- 
ever, she  declined  to  do,  and  sat  patiently  waiting 
for  some  one  else  to  come  and  take  her  across.  It  was 
only  when  we  saw  her  close  at  hand  that  we  discovered 
she  was  blind,  so  probably  that  had  made  her  afraid 
of  crossing  alone.  We  became  very  impatient  as  time 
went  on  and  no  one  appeared  ;  I  urged  our  men  to 
ford  the  stream  higher  up,  which  was  evidently  a 
frequented  route.  However,  they  were  too  timorous, 
and  were  afraid  of  trying  an  unknown  path,  so  we 

114 


ch.  xii      The  Diamond  Mountains 

lost  much  valuable  time.  It  was  only  at  the  close  of 
our  journey  that  we  learned  that  none  of  the  men  had 
traversed  any  part  of  our  route  previously  ;  naturally 
the  result  was  that  they  constantly  made  mistakes  and 
took  us  out  of  the  direcl:  route.  At  last,  just  as  we 
were  beginning  to  despair,some  one  arrived  who  towed 
the  ferry-boat  over  the  river,  and  we  set  off  across  some 
ploughed  fields  towards  the  foot  of  the  hills.  It  was 
dusk  when  we  reached  a  village  which  our  men  said 
was  the  halting-place,  and  only  next  day  we  discovered 
that  they  had  stopped  three  miles  short  of  the  right 
stage.  We  were  shown  into  a  small  room  about 
twelve  feet  square,  from  which  the  women  of  the  house 
were  ejected  though  their  clothing  draped  the  walls, 
and  big  chests  further  diminished  our  space.  All 
Korean  houses  have  a  small  platform  outside  them, 
either  planking  or  made  of  dried  mud,  on  which  the 
shoes  are  left  before  any  one  enters.  The  floors  are 
heated  from  below  and  covered  with  matting,  so  that 
chairs  are  considered  unnecessary,  and  the  Koreans 
enjoy  the  heat  which  penetrates  through  the  bedding 
on  which  they  lie  at  nights.  We  found  it  decidedly 
trying,  despite  having  the  door  open  and  cots  to  sleep 
on  ;  but  we  were  delighted  to  find  the  houses  so  much 
cleaner  than  we  expecled.  On  the  whole  they  look 
unquestionably  cleaner  in  the  country  villages  than 
in  the  corresponding  ones  at  home.  It  was  a  little 
difficult  to  sleep,  what  with  the  heat  and  the  noise, 
for  the  men  require  two  hours  to  get  up  and  breakfast, 
and  we  were  off"  by  6  o'clock. 

"5 


The  Face  of  Korea  ch.  xii 

The  second  day  we  travelled  mostly  parallel  with 
the  seashore,  and  got  more  accustomed  to  riding  our 
steeds.  It  was  a  perfect  day  with  radiant  sunshine, 
and  one  received  an  impression  of  universal  content 
and  comfort.  The  people  looked  for  the  most  part 
respectably  dressed  and  housed,  and  "  every  prospedt 
pleased."  The  villages  seemed  well  supplied  with 
cattle,  pigs,  fowls,  and  firewood,  and  within  the  houses 
were  goodly  array  of  bowls  and  brass  utensils  brilliantly 
polished.  When  we  stopped  at  midday  the  horses 
were  unloaded  and  given  a  hot  sort  of  bran  mash. 
The  Korean  pony  is  a  hardy  creature,  capable  of  great 
labour  and  wonderfully  sure-footed,  but  he  requires 
three  hot  meals  per  day,  that  is  to  say,  a  large  quantity 
of  hot  water  with  more  or  less  of  boiled  beans  and  rice 
chaff  in  it.  He  appears  to  be  eating  all  night  long 
except  when  he  is  fighting  his  next-door  neighbour. 
His  mapoo  or  groom  brushes  him  assiduously  with  a 
little  round  brush  before  loading,  though  it  never  has 
any  visible  effect  on  the  beast's  coat — a  more  unkempt- 
looking  animal  is  not  to  be  found  anywhere.  The 
stable  and  kitchen  of  Korean  inns  seem  to  consist  in 
a  single  room,  one  wall  having  a  long  row  of  stoves 
so  that  various  big  pans  can  be  cooking  at  the  same 
time.  The  chimney  of  a  house  is  generally  quite 
detached  from  the  building,  for  it  is  connected  with 
flues  which  underlie  the  whole  house,  heating  every 
room  (see  illustration,  p.  10).  At  meal-times  the  men 
each  had  a  little  round  table,  about  four  inches  in 
diameter,  on  which   were  a  large  brass  bowl  of  rice, 


116 


ch.  xii       The  Diamond  Mountains 

another  of  water,  and  two  or  three  small  earthenware 
dishes  of  vegetable,  or  fish,  or  other  condiments. 
These  little  tables  are  very  neat,  and  the  food  attrac- 
tively served.  The  Koreans  required  two  hours  always 
at  midday,  for  the  men  lie  down  and  go  to  sleep 
after  they  have  eaten. 

Our  way  led  us  up  hill  and  down  dale,  and  in  the 
course  of  the  day  we  walked  down  five  precipitous 
hills,  on  two  of  which  there  were  large  gangs  of 
navvies  making  the  road.  They  use  a  peculiar  spade 
with  a  long  handle,  partly  shod  at  the  spatula-shaped 
end  with  iron,  to  which  was  attached  a  rope  on  each 
side  worked  by  separate  individuals,  so  that  it  required 
three  men  to  wield  it.  Everywhere  the  country  was 
being  prepared  for  the  crops.  The  rice  fields  seemed 
to  occupy  the  main  part  of  the  land  under  cultivation, 
and  were  being  ploughed  by  cattle.  None  of  the 
ground  was  pasture  land — we  have  not  seen  a  single 
sheep  since  we  came  to  Korea  ;  there  were  some  flocks 
of  goats  to  be  seen  from  the  railway,  but  no  other 
animals  grazing.  The  cattle  are  singularly  fine,  but  are 
only  used  in  agriculture  and  as  beasts  of  burden  ;  the 
loads  of  wood  that  they  carry  are  so  large  that  hardly 
more  of  the  beast  is  to  be  seen  than  the  legs.  The 
same  may  be  said  of  the  loads  carried  by  men  and  boys. 

We  were  delighted  by  the  wild  flowers  just  coming 

into  blossom — hepaticas  of  shades  varying  from  purest 

white  to  deep  blue;  large  round-faced  yellow  heartsease; 

various  colours  of  violets,  and  the  sweetest  large  white 

ones  ;  deep-red  hairy  anemones,  and  white  crocus. 

117 


The  Face  of  Korea  ch.  xii 

As  we  had  only  come  twelve  instead  of  fifteen 
miles  the  previous  night  we  decided  that  we  must 
make  it  up,  or  the  other  stages  arranged  would  be 
impossible,  but  at  such  a  suggestion  our  men  looked 
black  and  greatly  demurred.  They  said  thirty-seven 
miles  was  too  long  a  journey  ;  and  when  we  came  to 
a  village  nestling  under  the  slope  of  a  hill  covered 
with  fine  pine-trees  in  which  numbers  of  herons  were 
clamorously  preparing  to  roost,  we  were  obliged  to 
admit  that  it  was  no  wonder  the  men  were  anxious 
to  stop  there.  The  place  was  thoroughly  picturesque 
and  snowed  signs  of  activity  ;  there  was  even  a  police 
officer  standing  near  the  invariable  notice  board 
which  adorns  every  village  in  Korea  since  the  Japanese 
occupation.  We  pushed  on  and  only  stopped  a 
moment  to  sketch  a  particularly  good  specimen  of 
devil  posts,  of  which  we  had  seen  numbers  on  the 
road.  It  is  considered  meritorious  to  add  a  stone  to 
one  of  these  wayside  heaps,  which  takes  the  place  of 
shrines.  We  spent  the  night  at  a  small  village,  only 
arriving  at  dusk  after  thirteen  and  a  half  hours' 
travelling  ;  and  we  were  not  sorry  to  tumble  into  our 
cots  after  a  short  meal,  to  put  out  our  lights,  and  so 
escape  the  curiosity  of  the  natives,  which  we  find  a 
great  trial.  It  is  well-nigh  impossible  to  shut  the 
doors  for  more  than  a  few  minutes,  or  you  feel 
asphyxiated,  and  it  is  only  when  the  light  is  out  that 
the  eager  villagers  cease  to  gaze.  One  was  reduced 
to  the  necessity  of  washing  in  the  dark  or  getting  up 
in  the  middle  of  the  night  to  do  it. 

118 


ch.  xii       The  Diamond  Mountains 

The  third  day's  journey  began  under  a  grey  and 
uncertain-looking  sky,  but  the  sun  shone  out  at 
intervals  as  we  made  our  way  along  the  seashore. 
My  guide  insisted  I  should  ride  with  a  foot  on  each 
side  of  my  good  beast's  neck,  but  that  brought 
disaster,  for  it  meant  nothing  to  cling  to,  so  a  sudden 
spring  forward  of  the  beast,  resultant  on  an  unseen 
prod  in  the  back,  landed  me  promptly  in  the  dust. 
My  mapoo  tried  to  break  the  fall,  but  only  succeeded 
in  getting  a  blow  on  his  mouth.  Seeing  I  was  not 
seriously  damaged  he  made  a  pitiable  appeal  to  my 
sympathy,  opening  a  wide  mouth  in  which  I  ex- 
pected to  see  several  teeth  lying  about.  There  was 
no  sign  of  disaster  except  a  few  drops  of  blood,  which 
seemed  to  distress  him  acutely,  but  the  other  men  all 
roared  with  laughter  and  told  him  to  wash  in  the 
stream  close  by.  He  didn't  cease  being  sorry  for 
himself  for  quite  a  long  while,  and  the  weird  songs 
with  which  he  had  previously  beguiled  the  road 
ceased  for  half  a  day.  We  passed  many  small  fishing 
hamlets,  and  were  interested  to  see  what  a  variety  of 
fish  the  women  had  in  their  baskets,  of  which  many 
were  unknown  to  us.  Flounders  seem  quite  common, 
and  in  Seoul  we  noticed  much  larger  herrings  than 
any  seen  at  home  ;  all  fish  is  much  more  expensive 
there  than  in  London,  owing  to  the  Japanesemonopoly, 
but  happilyfor  the  little  villages,  they  are  so  far  beyond 
the  beat  of  the  foreigner  that  they  are  left  unmolested; 
indeed  we  saw  no  Japanese  after  leaving  Wonsan  till 
that  afternoon,  when  we  were  astonished  at  the  sound 

119 


The  Face  of  Korea  ch.  xii 

of  a  siren,  and  turning  a  corner  came  into  an  exquisite 
little  land-locked  harbour,  evidently  a  naval  base, 
and  completely  concealed  from  the  sea.  Numbers 
of  sea-gulls  and  oyster-catchers  were  disporting  them- 
selves in  the  shallow  basin  leading  from  it,  but  our 
attention  was  riveted  on  the  boats  where  gun  practice 
was  going  on,  though  it  sounded  muffled. 

The  village  of  Tschagu-Tschiendogu  (accordingly 
to  the  spelling  in  our  German  map)  boasts  of  a  Japan- 
ese post-office,  and  a  Japanese  woman  was  trotting 
along  with  a  baby  on  her  back.  Passing  through  it 
we  plodded  through  deep  silver  sand  for  some  distance 
before  turning  inland,  but  we  had  a  long  way  still  to 
go  to  reach  the  secluded  monastery,  which  was  our 
resting-place  for  the  night.  We  wound  in  among 
the  precipitous  mountains  of  granite  formation.  The 
rocks  stood  out  like  mammoth  beasts  in  all  sorts  of 
strange  shapes,  and  they  looked  black  and  forbidding 
in  the  gloom.  A  green  serpent  mottled  with  black 
gave  our  men  quite  a  fright,  and  they  continually 
asked  the  way,  getting  not  much  enlightenment.  At 
last  we  penetrated  into  an  ideal  valley  with  cliffs 
towering  steeply  upwards  to  a  considerable  height, 
and  showing  the  jagged  outlines  which  have  given 
the  Diamond  Mountains  their  name.  The  narrow 
track  changed  into  a  broad  well-kept  road,  leading 
through  a  pine  forest,  and  we  had  not  gone  more 
than  a  mile  or  so  when  we  met  a  party  of  monks 
taking  their  evening  stroll.  The  youthful  looking 
abbot  wore  a  chain  which  distinguished  him  from 


ch.  xii      The  Diamond  Mountains 

the  rest,  and  he  stepped  forward,  bowing  politely. 
It  was  rather  difficult  to  know  how  next  to  proceed, 
as  none  of  the  party  seemed  to  understand  English 
or  Chinese  ;  however,  Mr.  Chiao  at  once  began  a 
conversation  by  writing  on  the  ground  and  asking  if 
we  could  receive  accommodation  for  the  night.  The 
request  was  readily  granted,  and  the  party  of  monks 
escorted  us  back. 

As  we  approached  the  monastery  there  was  a  small 
open  space  by  the  roadside  in  which  were  stone  vases 
and  tablets,  but  with  the  exception  of  that  and  the 
avenue  there  was  no  sign  to  mark  the  neighbourhood 
of  the  buildings.  They  were  situated  up  a  short  path 
at  right  angles  to  the  road,  and  were  by  no  means 
impressive.  The  temple  stood  slightly  to  the  rear, 
and  we  were  taken  to  a  series  of  rooms  opening  on  to 
a  raised  terrace,  and  ushered  into  the  central  one, 
where  a  Buddha  occupied  the  post  of  honour.  A  screen 
was  produced  to  divide  off  a  part  of  the  room  for  us, 
and  the  monks  arranged  themselves  all  round  to  watch 
proceedings,  namely,  the  cooking  of  our  supper.  One 
of  them  wrote  an  inquiry  whether  we  were  "Jesus 
missionaries,"  another  brought  us  a  Japanese-English 
primer,  and  said  a  few  sentences  which  he  had  learned 
fairly  accurately,  but  could  not  understand  anything 
we  said. 

While  we  had  our  supper  in  one  part  of  the  room 
some  monks  had  theirs  in  another,  and  it  became 
obvious  that  we  should  have  no  privacy,  so  we  had 
our  things  removed  to  a  small  room  which  had  been 


The  Face  of  Korea  ch.  xii 

allotted  to  Mr.  Chiao,  which  was  very  hot  but  clean, 
and  which  possessed  some  rings  on  the  door  that  we 
could  padlock  and  yet  get  fresh  air.  Mr.  Chiao  was 
kept  busy  writing  for  a  long  time,  and  we  begged 
him  to  find  out  what  they  considered  the  best  route 
to  Seoul.  However,  they  said  that  none  of  their 
number  had  ever  been  there,  and  that  the  monastery 
to  which  we  proposed  going  next  day  was  forty  miles 
distant  over  a  lofty  pass,  so  we  had  to  give  it  up. 
We  were  glad  to  have  Mr.  Chiao  sleeping  in  the 
verandah  just  outside  our  door  to  guard  us.  They 
showed  the  rapacity  which  is  said  to  characterise  the 
Buddhist  monks  in  Korea,  and  we  heard  none  too 
good  an  account  of  them.  The  night  stillness  was 
only  disturbed  by  the  croaking  of  frogs  in  quite  a 
different  tongue  from  that  of  European  ones,  and  the 
periodic  beating  of  the  fish  gong  which  betokens  the 
hour  of  prayer. 

In  the  morning  we  were  up  betimes  and  off  before 
6  o'clock  ;  already  the  monks  were  busy  outside 
spreading  great  heaps  of  grain  on  matting,  perhaps  in 
preparation  for  sowing.  It  was  a  perfect  morning  as 
we  wended  our  way  down  the  valley  for  about  three 
miles  of  the  same  way  we  had  come  the  night  before, 
and  soon  we  left  the  lovely  valley  behind  us.  Our 
pathway  was  full  of  funny  little  green  frogs  spotted 
with  black,  and  with  their  underside  brilliant  scarlet. 
Heavy  clouds  hung  over  the  precipitous  ravine 
through  which  lay  our  way,  and  we  soon  outdistanced 
our   ponies  as  we  tramped  over  a  rough  path  sur- 


ch.  xii       The  Diamond  Mountains 

rounded  by  most  fascinating  flowers.  Besides  those 
mentioned  above  there  were  glades  full  of  large 
cyclamen,  white  crocus  and  wood  anemones,  purple 
iris,  saxifrage,  &c. 

Lilies  of  the  valley  and  strawberry  leaves  showed 
promise  of  future  beauty,  and  many  kinds  of  ferns 
were  beginning  to  unfold  their  fronds.  Pheasants 
and  wood-pigeons  were  calling  from  the  rocks,  and 
many  birds  trying  their  notes  in  a  tentative  way. 
Chipmunks  sat  up  eyeing  us  with  great  unconcern, 
and  the  treasures  of  the  woods  seemed  limitless.  A 
babbling  brook  kept  us  in  constant  temptation  as  our 
path  crossed  and  recrossed  it,  and  before  we  reached 
the  top  we  passed  through  more  than  one  drift  of 
snow.  The  views  were  wonderful,  but  we  could 
have  seen  them  better  by  travelling  in  the  opposite 
direction,  and  one  of  the  great  charms  in  that  case  is 
the  way  that  the  traveller  suddenly  gets  a  view  of  the 
distant  sea  as  he  climbs  over  the  summit  of  the  pass. 
We  were  three  hours  climbing  up,  for  the  ascent  is 
very  stiff,  but  the  descent  is  much  more  gradual,  and 
we  were  glad  to  be  able  to  mount  our  beasts,  for  the 
midday  halt  only  came  after  a  stage  of  seven  hours. 
Brilliant  gleams  of  sunshine  occasionally  burst  forth, 
but  the  clouds  blew  up  for  rain,  and  we  were  thankful 
to  reach  our  resting-place  at  night  before  the  storm 
broke.  We  only  managed  90  li  (27  miles)  in  eleven 
hours,  and  on  our  arrival  we  were  surprised  and  pro- 
voked to  find  in  the  little  village  a  Japanese  encamp- 
ment, and  officers  occupying  the  best  inn.     After  a 

123 


The  Face  of  Korea  ch.  xii 

slight  demur  we  were  taken  in,  and  were  soon  after 

discussing  a  light  meal,  when  the  door  was  thrust 

rudely  open,  and  a  Japanese  soldier  prepared  to  watch 

us  have  it.     As  he  declined  to  take  our  hint  to  go,  it 

became  necessary  to  shut  the  door  in  his  face.     The 

rain  fell  heavily  in  the  night,  and  the  wind  blew,  but 

a  dark  morning  was  a  prelude  to  a  fine  day. 

We  started  late  next  morning,  and  only  got  as  far 

as  the  end  of  the  village  when  two  Japanese  officers, 

who  seemed  to  be  superintending  the  building  of  a 

house,  stopped  us  and  inquired  our  destination.     They 

went  into  long  explanations  in  writing  on  the  ground 

with  Mr.  Chiao.     They  said  there  was  a  much  better 

road  than  the  one  we  were  on,  and  that  by  it  the 

distance  was  only  80  li.     They  spoke  a  few  words  of 

English,  and  we  hoped  that  they  had  no  ulterior  object 

in  sending  us  the  other  way,  as  it  proved  an  execrable 

road  and  at  least  1 10  li  as  to  distance.     We  soon  found 

ourselves  going  up  another  pass,  but  not  nearly  so 

long  and  arduous  as  the  last.     The  flowers  were  not 

so  numerous,  and  we  found  nothing  much  of  fresh 

interest.     Swallow-tails    and     butterflies   of  various 

colours  flitted  about  the  path,  and  the  panoramic  view 

as  we  gained  the  summit  was  fine,  showing  what  a 

land  of  hills  this  is.     As  we  descended  into  the  valleys 

we  found  them  scantily  populated  and  cultivated,  but 

the  singular  number  of  streams  and  brooks  kept  many 

grinding-mills  at  work.     The  commonest  kind  of  mill 

is  worked  by  a  runnel  of  water  discharging  itself  into 

a  wooden  cradle  ;  when  this  is  full  it  descends  and 

124 


ch.  xii      The  Diamond  Mountains 

empties  itself,  then  rises  again,  bringing  down  its 
other  end,  as  a  hammer  on  the  grain  beneath.  The 
hammer  is  inside  a  little  round  hut  with  a  pointed 
roof  thatched  with  straw.  Others  of  the  mills  are 
worked  by  wheels,  and  there  is  a  constant  sound  of 
groaning  and  hammering  in  every  valley.  Ploughing 
and  sowing  go  on  simultaneously,  and  this  requires  a 
gang  of  from  four  to  six  men  ;  they  work  on  a  co- 
operative system,  and  one  man  treads  along  the  newly- 
turned  furrow,  with  bare  feet,  widening  it  out,  and 
dropping  in  the  grain  and  fertiliser  mixed,  while 
another  follows  to  cover  it  with  soil,  and  it  is  finally 
stamped  down  by  yet  another  man.  The  birds  have 
a  poor  chance  of  getting  any  grain.  Some  fresh 
ground  was  being  brought  under  cultivation  by  having 
the  brushwood  on  it  burnt  and  then  being  ploughed, 
but  to  judge  from  appearances  there  is  no  little  ground 
still  left  waste,  which  would  be  cultivated  if,  for 
example,  it  were  in  Chinese  hands.  The  Koreans  take 
life  much  more  easily,  and  there  is  none  of  the  elaborate 
care  and  use  of  materials  which  are  such  a  striking 
feature  of  Chinese  industry. 

It  was  only  after  a  somewhat  prolonged  midday 
halt  that  we  made  the  trying  discovery  that  we  still 
had  fifteen  miles  to  travel  to  Tschang  Do,  where  we 
joined  the  main  road,  and  meanwhile  it  became 
darker  and  darker.  Happily  later  on  the  moon  shone 
out  brightly  and  illumined  us  across  a  barren  moor. 
Passengers  were  few  and  far  between,  but  a  couple  of 
men  came  along  silently  carrying  a  white  swathed 

125 


The  Face  of  Korea  ch.  xii 

corpse  on  a  stretcher.  Our  own  party  had  fallen 
silent,  for  we  were  tired  and  disappointed  ;  the  gloom 
prevented  our  seeing  the  steepness  of  some  of  the 
descents,  but  we  clung  desperately  to  our  steeds,  for 
we  were  too  weary  to  walk.  At  last  we  came  into 
a  high  road,  which  proved  to  be  the  main  road  running 
from  Seoul  to  Wonsan,  and  on  this  it  was  easy  travel- 
ling. Few  gleams  of  light  were  to  be  seen  in  the 
village,  but  the  inhabitants  had  not  gone  to  rest,  so 
our  men  set  about  finding  quarters — a  not  altogether 
easy  matter.  While  we  were  discussing  it  outside  an 
inn,  the  beasts  began  quarrelling,  and  a  man  was  sent 
flying  headlong  into  the  ditch  by  the  heels  of  one 
of  them.  He  picked  himself  up  without  any  ado, 
and  as  if  it  were  quite  a  matter  of  course.  Perhaps 
this  settled  the  vexed  question,  for  we  were  forth- 
with admitted  to  the  house,  and  the  family  turned  out 
of  a  room  which  they  allotted  to  our  use.  This 
sort  of  thing  happened  wherever  we  stayed,  for 
apparently  there  are  no  spare  rooms  for  travellers,  and 
as  there  is  no  furniture  in  the  living  rooms  it  is  not 
so  objectionable  an  arrangement  as  it  sounds.  The 
best  hats  of  the  family  are  hung  on  the  rafters,  a  shelf 
runs  round  the  wall  about  two  feet  from  the  ceiling  ; 
it  is  full  of  miscellaneous  objecls,  while  the  clothing  of 
the  family  appears  to  be  stored  in  boxes  piled  on  one 
another.  There  is  generally  a  door  on  each  side  of 
the  room  consisting  of  papered  lattice  work,  and  in 
the  side  a  glass  peep-hole  varying  in  size  from  one  to 
four  inches. 

126 


ch.  xii      The  Diamond  Mountains 

The  night  passed  all  too  soon,  and  we  woke  to 
the  consciousness  of  a  sharp  frosty  morning.  As  we 
wended  our  way  down  the  valley  it  might  easily 
have  been  midwinter.  The  brown  hill-sides,  and 
the  brown  earth  and  stubble  thick  with  rime,  showed 
no  suggestion  of  spring,  though  it  was  nearing  the 
end  of  April.  On  every  side  the  pheasants  were 
calling,  and  the  bold  fellows  were  hardly  to  be  put 
up  by  a  well-aimed  stone  from  my  man,  but  trotted 
unconcernedly  away,  as  though  conscious  that  now 
they  are  under  Japanese  protection.  We  met  a  man 
with  a  falcon,  but  even  the  falconer's  trade  is  eyed 
with  suspicion,  lest  he  use  it  as  a  blind.  There  have 
been  several  cases  of  poisoned  pheasants  noted  lately 
in  Seoul,  so  that  it  is  necessary  to  be  careful  in  buying 
them,  to  see  that  they  have  really  been  shot. 

Our  sixth  day  was  again  a  thirteen  hours' journey, 
and  as  we  sat  resting  by  a  rill  of  water  at  midday,  a 
young  mother  with  a  baby  on  her  back  came  up, 
beaming  with  eagerness  to  talk  to  us.  No  doubt  she 
expected  we  could  understand  and  answer,  and  we 
were  doubly  sorry  not  to  be  able  to  do  so  when  she 
carefully  unfolded  a  handkerchief  and  showed  us  her 
Testament  and  hymn  book.  The  only  possibly  means 
of  sympathy  was  by  dumb  show,  and  by  the  headings 
of  the  hymns,  which  were  in  English  as  well  as 
Korean. 

That     evening    we    found    our    innkeeper    was    a 

Christian,  by  whom  we  were  received  with  the  utmost 

warm-heartedness,   and    every    request    so    willingly 

127 


The  Face  of  Korea  ch.  xii 

granted,  that  it  was  quite  cheering  after  a  tiring  day. 
One  of  the  girls  had  thoroughly  acquired  the  English 
hand-shake,  and  when  I  stretched  out  a  hand  to  shut 
the  door,  to  my  great  surprise  I  found  it  warmly 
grasped  instead.  A  little  clucking  on  my  friend's 
part  caused  them  to  go  out  and  fetch  us  lovely  new- 
laid  eggs,  a  great  contrast  to  most  of  those  we  had 
been  able  to  buy  on  the  road,  and  they  watched  my 
cooking  operations  with  lively  interest.  We  began 
to  feel  it  would  be  difficult  to  shut  the  door  at  all  on 
their  friendly  faces,  when  an  interruption  came  and 
rendered  it  unnecessary  ;  this  was  a  summons  to 
them  from  the  head  of  the  house  to  come  to  family 
worship.  First  they  sang  a  hymn  (would  that  our 
good  missionary  friends  could  be  content  to  let  them 
sing  their  own  tunes  !) — then  came  Scripture  reading, 
prayer,  and  the  Lord's  Prayer  repeated  by  all  ;  I 
imagine  that  what  followed  next  must  have  been 
exhortation  and  a  suggestion  of  another  hymn,  but 
they  decided  not  to  sing  it.  The  utmost  devoutness 
characterised  their  worship,  which  was  carried  on  in 
the  adjoining  room,  so  that  we  felt  we  were  sharers 
in  it,  and  it  was  good  to  be  there. 

We  parted  next  morning  with  hearty  hand-shakes, 
and  we  wished  we  had  met  with  more  Christian  inn- 
keepers on  our  journey,  if  this  were  a  typical  one. 
Just  as  we  were  starting  a  nice-looking  young  girl 
showed  us  her  Bible  with  great  pride,  and  I  found 
that  she  could  write  quite  well.  Education  seems  to 
be  almost  entirely  neglected  in  the  country  districts, 


ch.  xii      The  Diamond  Mountains 

and  we  have  only  passed  one  school  so  far  as  we  know 
during  our  eight  days'  journey.  The  road  continued 
excellent,  but  always  winds  through  narrow  valleys 
and  over  ridges  into  other  valleys,  showing  how  large 
a  part  of  the  country  is  uninhabited.  The  hill-sides 
are  only  used  as  cemeteries  and  for  producing  fire- 
wood. Until  we  reached  the  high  road  at  the  end 
of  our  fifth  day's  journey  we  met  no  ponies  and  only 
few  pedlars  ;  after  that  there  were  many  people  and 
animals.  The  pedlars  seem  to  carry  mainly  cotton 
goods  ("superior  sheeting  KKK"  being  much  to 
the  fore),  summer  hats,  umbrellas,  haberdashery, 
mirrors,  matches,  and  cigarettes.  The  people  have 
little  money,  and  the  things  they  use  are  of  the 
cheapest. 

Shortly  after  starting  we  met  three  mounted 
soldiers,  evidently  the  military  escort  of  a  weary- 
looking  Westerner  seated  in  a  ricksha,  followed  by 
another  ricksha  in  which  was  seated  a  Korean  in  pale 
blue  attire.  This  was  the  only  Westerner  we  met 
during  our  eight  days'  journey,  and  from  this  time 
onward  we  occasionally  met  a  ricksha,  though  on 
some  parts  of  the  road  it  looks  quite  impossible  for 
them  to  travel.  For  a  distance  of  perhaps  twenty 
miles  the  road  has  been  planted  on  both  sides  with 
twigs  at  a  distance  of  about  a  foot  from  one  another. 
They  look  unpromising,  but  we  were  assured  that 
they  are  likely  to  grow  all  right,  in  which  case  they 
will  convert  the  dull  road  in  the  course  of  a  few  years 
to  a  pleasant  shady  avenue.     Towards  dusk  we  came 

129  1 


The  Face  of  Korea  ch.  xii 

to  Po  Chan,  a  Japanese  military  outpost.  It  struck 
us  that  this  was  probably  the  last  opportunity  of 
sending  a  telegram  to  announce  our  return  to  Seoul, 
so  we  at  once  dismounted  at  the  telegraph  office. 
Almost  everywhere  the  one  notice  up  in  English  is 
"  Post — Telegraph,"  but  here  it  was  in  Japanese. 
When  our  wishes,  however,  had  been  explained  by 
Mr.  Chiao  in  writing,  a  telegraph  form  entirely  made 
out  in  English  was  produced  and  the  message  written. 
It  seemed  such  a  simple  matter  to  send  it,  that  we 
were  astonished  at  the  amount  of  correspondence  it 
entailed.  Our  names,  destinations,  ages,  &c.  &c. 
were  demanded  by  the  military  authorities,  and  the 
little  job  took  at  least  twenty  minutes.  At  last  we 
got  away  and  it  was  quite  dark  before  we  reached 
our  destination. 

We  sighed  for  our  friendly  hosts  of  the  night 
before,  for  this  time  we  encountered  a  horde  of  in- 
quisitive people,  who  allowed  us  no  peace  ;  in  vain 
we  closed  three  doors  out  of  the  four  which  led  from 
one  tiny  room  eighteen  feet  square,  and  the  paper  on 
them  was  soon  in  shreds.  At  last  we  were  driven 
to  distraction,  and  closed  all  the  peep-holes  by  curtains, 
preferring  to  be  stifled  than  to  endure  the  people  any 
longer. 

The    eighth    and    last     morning    of   our  journey 

dawned  grey  and  unpromising.     How  often  have  we 

sighed  for  our  comfortable  Chinese  travelling  chairs, 

never  more  than  as   the   weary   hours  wore   slowly 

away  under  a  drizzling  rain.      For  the  last  few  days 

130 


i  i    * 


NORTH  GATE,   SEOUL 


ch.  xii      The  Diamond  Mountains 

we  had  seen  scarcely  a  flower  and  heard  few  birds  ; 
the  dear  larks  were  silent,  and  the  passengers  hurried 
along  under  umbrellas,  waterproof-  covered  hats, 
and  an  occasional  grass  coat.  The  villages  were 
more  numerous,  and  wonderful  groups  of  devil  posts, 
ten  or  twelve  in  a  row,  faced  each  other  at  each  end 
of  them  ;  many  of  these  looked  comparatively  new, 
and  were  painted  brick-red  and  green,  with  white 
markings.  A  noticeable  feature  of  Korea  is  the 
absence  of  temples,  and  the  disrepair  of  the  shrines  ; 
we  never  saw  any  sign  of  worship  by  the  people  at 
these  wayside  shrines.  They  are,  many  of  them, 
simply  empty  huts,  or  have  a  little  writing  on  the 
walls,  and  occasionally  a  picture.  On  sacred  trees 
strips  of  paper  are  hung,  and  the  passer-by,  if  devout, 
adds  a  stone  to  the  heap  round  its  roots. 

We  donned  our  shilling  paper  coats  and  found 
them  an  admirable  protection  from  the  rain,  but  we 
must  have  been  a  funny  sight.  As  we  rode  along 
we  came  to  a  Japanese  regiment  on  the  march,  headed 
by  its  officers  in  military  capes.  One  of  the  officers, 
despite  the  rain,  threw  his  cape  back  in  a  neglige 
way  before  he  met  us,  so  that  a  dazzling  row  of  de- 
corations should  not  pass  unobserved.  Certainly  his 
appearance  was  in  striking  contrast  to  ours. 

We  entered  the  city  of  Seoul  from  the  north  by  a 
fine  old  gateway,  the  whole  scene  being  most  pictur- 
esque.    I  returned  to  sketch  it  the  following  day. 

The  impression  of  the  country  people  gained  by  our 
trip  was  that  they  were  not  particularly  friendly,  but 

131 


The  Face  of  Korea  ch.  xii 

thoroughly  inquisitive  ;  it  looked  as  if  there  were  little 
extreme  poverty,  but  a  general  air  of  comfort  seemed 
to  prevail  everywhere.  The  village  street  is  swept 
daily,  so  that  in  the  early  morning  there  is  a  pleasant 
look  of  tidiness  about  it.  The  cattle  are  sleek  and  well 
cared  for,  and  even  the  dogs  have  a  prosperous  air. 

Any  one  thinking  of  visiting  the  Diamond  Moun- 
tains would  do  well  to  try  and  secure  a  competent 
Korean  to  go  with  them,  who  would  be  able  to  secure 
the  daily  fowl  for  dinner  of  which  we  heard,  but  which 
we  never  met,  and  to  procure  any  other  requisite. 
We  saw  no  cultivation  of  vegetables,  except  small  plots 
of  onions,  so  that  we  had  to  rely  entirely  on  the  stores 
that  we  took  with  us  for  everything  except  eggs.  We 
were  told  (too  late)  that  a  guide  may  easily  be  heard 
of  at  the  Y.M.C.  A.  in  Seoul.  As  to  means  of  transit 
— there  are  only  three  ;  a  pony,  but  let  me  add  a  warn- 
ing on  this  score,  namely,  that  one  gets  deadly  tired 
of  its  slow  walk  ;  a  native  chair,  consisting  of  a  square 
box  like  an  Indian  dhoolie,  with  carriers  who  groan 
all  the  time  ;  and  shanks fs  pony,  which  in  the  moun- 
tains is  the  only  pleasant  one.  Residents  in  Korea 
have  their  own  carrying  chairs,  but  these  are  not  to 
be  hired.  As  regards  the  time  of  year  most  suitable 
for  travelling  in  Korea,  May  is  the  most  beautiful,  or 
early  autumn  we  were  told,  but  in  case  of  the  former, 
mosquito  curtains  are  a  necessity.  We  found  winter 
clothing  requisite  for  April  ;  thick  tweeds  and  fur 
coat  were  none  too  warm. 

We  had  been  told  that  the  country  districts  were 

132 


ch.  xii      The  Diamo?id  Mou?t tains 

quite  unsafe  on  account  of  Japanese  vagrants,  but 
we  saw  nothing  of  them,  and  as  far  as  we  could  judge 
there  is  excellent  order  everywhere.  Although  Mr. 
Chiao  was  unable  to  communicate  direclly  with  the 
Koreans,  his  presence  was  of  undoubted  value  to  us 
in  more  ways  than  one.  It  lent  prestige  to  our 
small  party,  for  the  Koreans  hold  the  Chinese  in 
great  respect  ;  and  for  them  to  see  such  a  man 
as  Mr.  Chiao  in  a  subordinate  position  to  us,  was 
equivalent  to  raising  us  to  high  rank. 


133 


CHAPTER   XIII 

Seoul  to   Dalny 

THE  slowness  and  discomfort  of  the  journey 
from  Manchuria  by  railway  to  Seoul  de- 
termined us  to  take  another  route  on  our 
return,  and  as  there  was  a  boat  going  from  Chemulpo 
to  Dalny  about  the  time  we  wanted  to  start  we  de- 
cided to  take  it.  We  booked  our  places  in  good  time, 
paid  for  tickets,  and  the  agent  promised  to  wire  at 
once  to  Yokohama  to  have  the  berths  reserved  for  us. 
On  our  return  to  Seoul,  however,  after  our  trip  across 
the  country,we  saw  that  another  steamer  was  advertised 
to  sail  the  day  following  the  one  for  which  we  had 
booked.  This  was  not  only  a  larger  steamer,  but  also 
boasted  European  food,  instead  of  Japanese,  no  small 
matter  when  one  is  sea-sick.  We  at  once  decided  to 
change  our  tickets  if  possible,  and  went  to  the  agent 
from  whom  they  had  been  obtained.  He  said  it  was 
impossible  to  make  any  alteration  as  the  berths  had 
been  already  secured  on  the  other  steamer  ;  however, 
after  some  demur,  he  telephoned  to  the  agent  at 
Chemulpo  to  ascertain  what  answer  he  had  received 
from  Yokohama.  The  agent  declared  that  he  had 
never  been  asked  to  secure  any  berths,  and  that  none 

134 


ch.  xiii  Seoul  to  Dalny 

had  been  reserved.  This  made  the  way  plain  for  us, 
and  we  were  glad  for  once  of  the  hopelessly  unbusi- 
nesslike habits  prevailing  in  Korea.  I  have  related 
this  incident  to  show  how  difficult  it  is  to  travel 
comfortably  ;  for  our  friends  said  that  ours  was  no 
uncommom  experience,  and  that  various  of  their 
friends,  with  places  already  engaged,  had  gone  to  take 
their  boat  at  Chemulpo,  as  we  should  have  done, 
and  found  that  all  the  berths  were  full,  so  that  they 
were  obliged  to  return  to  Seoul  and  wait  for  the 
next.  As  boats  only  run  to  Dalny  once  in  three  or 
four  weeks  this  is  a  serious  matter. 

We  started  in  the  early  afternoon  and  found  a  < 
large  crowd  of  passengers  waiting  to  go  by  the  train  ; 
it  duly  came  into  the  station,  and  the  luggage  was 
put  in  the  van,  but  the  passengers  were  kept  cooped 
up  within  railings  for  fifteen  minutes,  actually  to 
within  five  minutes  of  the  starting  of  the  train. 
When  they  were  at  last  allowed  on  the  platform  there 
was  a  perfecl:  stampede,  and  the  discovery  was  made 
that  there  were  no  first-class  carriages,  though  we 
and  other  passengers  had  first-class  tickets.  The 
officials  were  applied  to,  but  they  said  if  we  wanted 
first-class  accommodation  we  could  wait  a  couple  of 
hours  and  take  the  next  train.  We  were  not  sorry 
when  our  short  journey  of  one  and  three  quarter 
hours  came  to  an  end  to  think  that  it  was  our  last 
experience  of  Korean  railways.  On  arrival  at 
Chemulpo  we  passed  through  a  door  labelled 
"  wicket,"    which   was    surely   strangely   unlike   the 

135 


The  Face  of  Korea  ch.  xiii 

wicket  gate  with  which  we  are  all  so  familiar  by- 
name from  the  days  of  our  childhood,  though  we 
certainly  felt  like  pilgrims. 

Chemulpo  is  a  cosmopolitan  sort  of  place  and  has 
an  unenviable  reputation,  but  it  has  certain  charming 
features.  The  first  is  that  there  is  always  a  cool 
breeze  ;  the  second  is  that  it  extends  up  a  hill-side, 
and  from  the  British  Consulate,  perched  on  the  edge 
of  the  cliff,  there  is  a  fine  view  over  the  harbour. 
From  there  a  group  of  thrilled  spectators  watched 
the  dramatic  opening  of  the  war  between  Russia 
and  Japan.  They  saw  the  two  gallant  Russian 
warships  steam  out  of  the  inner  bay  to  meet  the 
Japanese  fleet  and  certain  destruction.  Whatever 
may  be  thought  of  the  aclion,  no  one  can  fail  to 
admire  the  unflinching  courage — so  characteristic  of 
both  armies — which  dictated  it. 

As  we  climbed  up  the  hill  we  saw  towering  above 
us  a  fine  red  church  belongingto  the  Roman  Catholics, 
and  we  reached  the  mission  hospital  of  the  Society 
for  the  Propagation  of  the  Gospel.  No  one  who  is 
unacquainted  with  Eastern  seaports  can  understand 
the  arduous  character  of  the  work  carried  on  by  the 
tiny  handful  of  workers  stationed  at  such  places  ; 
but  where  could  there  be  a  greater  need  of  that 
Christian  demonstration  which  a  hospital  affords  ? 
Only  once  a  month  an  ordained  clergyman  comes 
down  to  take  the  services  ;  at  other  times  the  doclor 
has  to  conduct  them,  as  well  as  attend  to  all  the 
medical    work.     It   is    difficult   for   him   to   get   an 

136 


ch.  xiii  Seoul  to  Dalny 

occasional  holiday  of  even  a  couple  of  days,  for  at 
the  present  time  the  medical  work  among  the 
Koreans  has  not  progressed  far  in  the  training  of 
assistants.  The  hospital  is  small  and  lacking  many 
of  the  things  which  our  ordinary  general  practitioners 
would  consider  essential  to  a  hospital,  but  the  results 
are  nevertheless  satisfactory. 

As  we  left  the  doctor's  house  we  found  that  a 
boatman  had  dogged  our  steps,  and  been  waiting  a 
couple  of  hours  to  secure  possible  passengers  on  the 
way  to  the  S.S.  Santo  Maru,  for  he  had  no  doubt  seen 
Mr.  Chiao  taking  our  luggage  from  the  station  to  the 
ship.  We  could  not  resist  such  pertinacity,  and  after 
some  half-hour's  rowing  in  his  sampan,  we  reached 
the  outer  harbour  where  the  Santo  Maru  lay. 

Next  morning  at  5  a.m.  punctually  we  started  for 
Dalny  in  heavy  rain,  which  thickened  into  fog  in 
the  course  of  the  day.  The  Nippon  Yusen  Kaisha 
is  at  present  the  best  Japanese  line  of  steamers,  and 
has  ships  plying  all  round  the  world.  The  accommo- 
dation was  quite  comfortable,  and  the  staff,  from  the 
captain  downwards,  most  kind  and  polite  to  the 
passengers.  There  was  an  excellent  Chinese  chef  on 
board,  and  he  prepared  an  elaborate  Sunday  dinner 
for  the  thirteen  passengers — composed  of  Americans, 
Spaniards,  Australians,  and  ourselves — such  as  would 
have  been  more  suitable  for  Christmas  Day  ;  the 
menu  included  roast  beef,  turkey,  and  plum-pudding. 
Tiny  birds  kept  haunting  the  ship  all  day  long,  so 
tame  that  they  alighted  on  people's  shoulders,  and 

137 


The  Face  of  Korea  ch.  xiii 

sea   swallows   came   darting   into   the   saloon  during 
dinner. 

We  were  grateful  for  a  smooth  sea,  even  though 
the  fog  delayed  our  passage  somewhat,  and  we  only 
reached  Dalny  twenty-five  hours  after  leaving  Che- 
mulpo. The  rain  was  gone,  and  was  followed  by 
"  clear  shining  "  as  we  drew  up  beside  the  wharf.  The 
agent  of  the  pleasant  Yamato  hotel  took  charge  of  our 
things,  and  put  us  into  a  comfortable  little  carriage 
with  india-rubber  tyres  in  which  we  drove  through 
the  town.  How  delightful  it  is  after  roughing  it  to 
meet  once  again  such  simple  home  comforts  (too 
simple  even  to  be  noticed  at  home),  and  to  drive  over 
well-made  roads  !  Dalny,  or  Dairen  as  it  is  called  by 
the  Japanese,  is  pre-eminently  a  new  town,  full  of 
handsome  buildings,  from  the  Sailors'  Rest  to  the 
Yokohama  Specie  Bank,  situated  in  wide,  well-made 
roads,  and  showing  plain  proof  of  the  nascent  pros- 
perity of  the  place.  The  shops  are  not  quite  up  to 
what  might  be  expecled,  but  that  is  only  a  matter  of 
time,  and  well-known  firms  such  as  Butterfield  and 
Swire,  and  Samuel  Macgregor  &  Co.  are  already 
established  there.  Dalny  is  an  interesting  and  re- 
markable place.  Ten  years  ago  it  did  not  exist,  but 
was  merely  a  dream  in  some  Russian  brain  ;  and  how 
that  brain  conceived  it,  it  is  hard  to  imagine.  Dalny 
lies  at  the  base  of  the  Liaotong  Peninsula,  a  rocky, 
barren  spot  without  any  shelter  from  the  tempests  ; 
but  having  the  great  advantage  over  its  nearest 
neighbouring  seaport,  Newchwang,  of  being  open  all 

138 


ch.  xiii  Seoul  to  Dalny 

the  year  round,  whereas  Newchwang  is  ice-bound 
four  months  in  the  winter.  This  is  the  reason  why 
Russia  was  willing  to  pour  out  money  like  water  to 
convert  the  wilderness  into  a  great  commercial  port 
at  the  southern  terminus  of  the  railway  line.  The 
harbour  alone  has  been  an  enormous  expense,  for  the 
bank  is  very  shelving,  and  there  are  now  dry  docks, 
moles,  breakwaters,  and  warehouses,  with  a  vast 
amount  of  space  available  for  the  requisites  for  that 
commerce  which  Russia  expected  to  obtain.  But 
it  is  not  Russia,  but  Japan,  who  is  now  the  owner  of 
Dalny  ;  it  is  Japanese  ships  that  ply  between  China, 
Korea,  and  Japan,  not  to  mention  the  trade  with  more 
distant  countries,  which  is  steadily  growing.  As  it  is 
the  only  port  north  of  Hong  Kong  where  large 
steamers  can  conveniently  discharge  their  cargoes,  it 
ought  to  have  good  prospects,  and  the  increasing 
exports  from  Manchuria  are  certain  to  pass  through  it. 

Not  only  did  Russia  expend  its  money  upon  making 
Dalny  a  fine  port,  but  also  in  making  it  a  fine  city 
and  pleasant  to  live  in.  The  residential  quarter  has 
been  hewn  out  of  the  hill-side  for  about  a  couple  of 
miles,  and  handsomely  laid  out,  while  a  beautiful  shady 
drive  of  seven  or  eight  miles  leads  to  the  seashore 
facing  the  ocean. 

The  town  is  full  of  little  carriages  and  rickshas,  and 
a  network  of  trams  takes  the  passenger  for  an  hour's 
drive  for  the  lordly  sum  of  twopence,  first  class,  and 
a  penny  farthing  second  class.  As  we  drove  in  a  tram 
to  Chinatown  in  order  to  view  the  outskirts,  we  saw 

139 


The  Face  of  Korea  ch.  xiii 

the  beginnings  of  a  park,  a  golf  course,  a  base-ball 
ground,  a  chrysanthemum  garden,  and  various  other 
things,  but  more  amusing  were  the  little  bazaars  and 
shops  with  their  English  notices — "  To  sell  Flesh," 
"  Boots  and  Shoesmakea,"  "  High  Barber,"  "  Royal 
House  Hair  Cutting,"  &c.  &c.  English  is  the  one 
European  language  which  makes  its  way  into  every 
corner  of  the  earth,  and  will  with  ever-increasing 
rapidity  tend  to  become  the  universal  means  of  com- 
munication. As  an  instance  of  this  facl,  the  Chinese 
Government  has  just  issued  an  order  that  henceforth 
English  is  to  be  the  language  in  which  science  shall 
be  taught  throughout  the  Chinese  Empire.  This 
will,  I  fear,  be  a  severe  blow  to  our  German  friends, 
who  were  confidently  expecting  China  to  follow  the 
example  of  Japan  and  take  German  as  the  scientific 
medium  of  instruction. 

We  left  Dalny  by  the  evening  train  for  Liao  Yang, 
en  route  for  Ashiho,  which  forms  the  subject  of  the 
next  chapter. 


140 


CHAPTER   XIV 

Ashiho 

A  S  we  journeyed  northward  once  more  the  cold 
/%  steadily  increased,  and  a  biting  wind  found 
JL  M  its  way  even  into  the  railway  carriages.  At 
Kharbin  a  perfect  blizzard  had  been  blowing  the 
previous  day,  and  as  it  happened  to  be  the  Russian 
Easter,  banks  were  closed  and  the  tickets  for  the 
Russian  State  express  train  were  not  to  be  purchased. 
We  discovered  that  the  train  service  was  all  to  be 
changed  the  next  day,  May  ist,  and  no  time-tables 
were  obtainable.  The  British  Consul  kindly  promised 
to  get  our  tickets  on  the  Monday,  and  ascertained 
that  we  could  join  the  express  at  Ashiho,  a  few 
stations  down  the  Vladivostock  line,  where  we  were 
going  to  spend  the  week  end. 

We  reached  Ashiho  about  9  o'clock,  and  set  out  for 
our  destination  in  a  droshky.  It  was  a  most  perilous 
drive  in  the  dark,  for  the  roads — or  what  pass  muster 
as  roads — were  in  the  worst  possible  condition  ;  the 
spring  thaw  had  set  in,  and  the  surface  of  the  ground 
was  a  hopeless  quagmire  destined  to  last  until  there 
should  be  sufficient  sunshine  to  dry  it,  for  the  wet 
was  unable  to  penetrate  the  still  frozen  earth.      Our 

141 


The  Face  of  Korea  ch.  xiv 

friends  at  Hulan  had  set  out  that  morning  to  meet  us 
at  Kharbin.  After  a  long  weary  walk  in  a  snow- 
storm they  found  the  Kharbin  steamer  on  the  Sungari 
River  crowded  with  passengers.  An  hour's  wait  in  a 
piercing  wind  was  followed  by  the  information  that 
it  was  quite  uncertain  whether  the  boat  would  go  at 
all  that  day,  so  they  gave  it  up  in  despair  and  returned 
home.  Practically  speaking  all  traffic  is  stopped  on 
the  country  roads  at  this  time  of  the  year,  and  those 
who  walk  must  be  prepared  to  wade  knee  deep  in 
black  mud  to  reach  their  destination.  We  had  no 
catastrophe  during  our  half-hour's  drive,  but  it  was 
more  by  good  luck  than  anything  else. 

Ashiho  is  rather  a  dull  Chinese  town  with  the 
usual  Russian  settlement  round  the  railway  station, 
which  is  about  half  a  mile  outside  the  gates.  The 
Russians  have  insisted  on  the  town  being  lighted  at 
nights,  but  there  is  not  more  than  enough  light  to 
show  the  darkness.  A  red  light  on  the  top  of  a  lofty 
pole  is  the  sign  of  public  baths,  which  seemed  to  be 
the  scene  of  much  activity.  The  Russian  droshky, 
with  Chinese  drivers,  is  apparently  quite  an  institution 
there,  but  one  wonders  how  they  can  make  a  living 
in  such  a  locality.  The  town  boasts  a  sugar  factory, 
but  owing  to  a  bad  beetroot  season  it  was  closed. 
A  small  community  of  Scotch  missionaries  is  working 
there,  and  when  they  have  got  a  new  hospital  and 
better  premises,  there  is  every  prospect  of  greater 
growth  in  the  work.     The  lady  doctor,  though  only 

recently  from  home,  and  still  in  the  first   stages  of 

142 


ch.  xiv  As  hi  ho 

learning  the  language,  had  over  sixty  patients  waiting 
to  see  her,  and  the  people  seem  more  willing  here 
than  elsewhere  to  send  for  her  in  midwifery  cases. 
As  she  is  the  only  doclor,  she  has  one  day  a  week  for 
men  patients.  The  missionary  premises  are  deplor- 
able ;  if  only  some  of  the  home  committee  could 
have  enjoyed  our  quarters  and  heard  the  walls  which 
enclose  the  compound  falling  down  during  the  night, 
they  would  see  the  need  for  haste  in  building  new 
ones.  The  girls'  school  was  being  carried  on  under 
difficulties  that  would  daunt  any  but  the  most  resolute, 
but  the  workers  are  Scotch,  and  have  learnt  to  laugh 
at  difficulties.  Less  than  two  years  ago  one  of  the 
ladies  was  itinerating  in  the  country,  accompanied  by 
a  Biblewoman,  when  she  was  suddenly  attacked  by 
a  party  of  mounted  brigands.  They  treated  her  with 
considerable  roughness,  robbing  not  only  her  but  also 
the  Biblewoman  and  the  carter  of  all  that  they  con- 
sidered worth  stealing — money,  watches,  clothes,  and 
food.  Amongst  other  things  they  took  her  eider- 
down— for  this  took  place  in  the  cold  weather — but 
the  Biblewoman  had  the  happy  inspiration  to  tell 
the  robbers  that  it  only  contained  feathers  (which 
they  utterly  scorned),  so  they  threw  it  away.  They 
only  left  her  one  cent  in  money  (evidently  they  had 
a  sense  of  humour),  and  decamped  somewhat  hurriedly 
on  seeing  a  party  of  horsemen  appear  in  the  distance, 
whom  they  took  for  soldiers. 

There  is  plenty  of  ground  belonging  to  the  mission, 
but,  as  usual,  funds  for  building  are  not  forthcoming. 

143 


The  Face  of  Korea  ch.  xiv 

It  seems  a  pity  that  the  home  churches  should  keep 
on  sending  out  workers  without  the  requisite  equip- 
ment to  carry  on  their  work.  At  home  one  frequently 
hears  of  the  luxury  in  which  missionaries  live,  but  in 
my  fairly  considerable  experience  of  mission  houses, 
I  have  never  met  a  single  one  where  this  is  the  case, 
and  rarely  (except  in  the  case  of  American  missions) 
have  I  been  where  the  work  has  not  been  seriously 
hindered  for  the  lack  of  funds.  Most  missionaries 
are  driven  by  the  necessities  of  their  work  to  eke  out 
by  contributions  from  their  own  meagre  salaries  the 
insufficient  funds  provided  from  home.  Many  are 
consequently  unable  to  afford  to  have  newspapers  and 
other  literature  sent  out  regularly,  and  the  thoughtless 
kindness  of  their  supporters  does  not  supply  them 
with  anything  beyond  religious  periodicals  and  books. 
The  postage  of  papers  and  books  is  only  the  same  as 
at  home,  and  parcels  weighing  not  more  than  1 1  lb. 
can  now  be  sent  to  China  by  post  for  the  small  sum 
of  2s.  i  id.,  so  there  is  no  reason  why  the  missionary's 
life  should  not  be  occasionally  brightened  by  a  judi- 
cious present  from  the  home  country. 

The  one  drawback  to  the  position  of  the  mission 
premises  at  Ashiho  is  that  they  are  so  near  the  wall 
beside  the  East  gate,  outside  which  is  the  public 
execution  ground,  and  the  gruesome  procession  to  it 
passes  alongside  the  mission  houses.  Shortly  before 
our  visit  there  had  been  executions  twice  in  one 
week — the  first  time  two  men,  and  the  second  time 

four  men  were  killed  by  strangulation. 

144 


MOHAM M E D  \  N 


ch.  xiv  Ashiho 

Near  the  mission  also  there  is  a  pretty  Moham- 
medan mosque,  built  exactly  like  a  Buddhist  orTaoist 
temple,  which  provides  schools  for  boys  and  girls. 
The  girls'  school  is  a  recent  institution,  probably  in 
imitation  of  the  mission  one,  and  is  evidently  at  all 
events  a  numerical  success,  for  a  good  number  of  girls 
filed  out  on  Sunday  afternoon  as  we  happened  to  be 
passing.  The  type  of  face  of  many  of  the  boys  struck 
us  as  particularly  Semitic,  and  the  Chinese  here  habitu- 
ally call  them  Jews.  There  is  a  large  proportion  of 
butchers  among  the  Mohammedans,  as  is  usually  the 
case  in  China,  and  this  is  a  boon  to  Europeans,  for  it 
is  only  the  Mohammedans  who  kill  beef,  and  they  are 
particular  about  the  healthiness  of  the  beasts.  The 
Moslems  in  China  do  not  attempt  to  proselytise 
openly,  and  they  adhere  less  rigidly  than  elsewhere  to 
their  religious  observances.  They  conform  outwardly 
as  much  as  possible  to  Chinese  customs  in  order  to 
escape  notice,  but  they  are  no  negligible  quantity 
amongthe  myriads  of  that  land, for  they  number  atleast 
twenty  millions.  The  Mohammedans  entered  China 
in  a.d.  755  by  the  regular  trade  route  through  Central 
Asia,  and  even  earlier  (in  628)  according  to  Chinese 
Mohammedan  tradition  they  are  said  to  have  sent  the 
prophet's  uncle  as  envoy  to  the  Chinese  court.  The 
proselytising  of  the  Chinese  was  as  peaceful  as  that 
of  the  Indians  was  the  reverse.  It  was  mainly 
achieved  by  Moslem  traders  and  artisans,  following  in 
the  wake  of  Genghiz  Khan  and  Kubla  Khan's  con- 
quests.    They   married    Chinese   women,  and   their 

145  k 


The  Face  of  Korea  ch.  xiv 

children  all  became  Moslems  ;  they  adopted  large 
numbers  of  other  children  in  famine  times  in  order  to 
bring  them  up  in  the  Faith,  and  thus  they  have 
steadily  but  unobtrusively  grown  in  numbers. 

In  past  times  there  have  been  terrible  massacres  of 
the  Mohammedans  by  the  Chinese  whenever  they 
have  made  any  attempt  to  withstand  Chinese  customs, 
which  is  probably  the  reason  one  hears  so  little  of 
them  nowadays,  but  they  show  a  quiet  tenacity  in 
sticking  to  their  religion,  which  is  characteristic  of 
Mohammedanism  in  every  land.  It  was  in  a  vain 
endeavour  to  reach  them  that  the  great  Jesuit 
missionary,  Francis  Xavier,  died  off  the  coast  of 
China.  Up  to  the  present  time  there  has  been  no 
special  mission  work  amongst  the  Mohammedans  in 
China. 

My  sketch  of  the  Mohammedan  mosque  at 
Ashiho  was  done  under  considerable  difficulties,  for 
the  boys  had  just  come  out  of  school,  and  would  jostle 
up  and  down,  and  round  about  me  on  the  mound  of 
earth  where  I  was  sitting,  raising  such  a  dust  that 
at  last  I  was  driven  defeated  from  the  field.  Though 
it  was  the  first  of  May  the  scene  was  a  winter  one, 
and  we  longed  and  longed  for  spring  to  arrive. 

On  sending  to  the  station  to  inquire  what  time 
our  train  left  in  the  evening,  they  declared  there  was 
no  train  at  all,  and  that  the  date  of  the  weekly 
express  from  Vladivostock  had  been  changed  from 
Monday  to  Sunday.  We  felt  so  convinced  that  this 
was  a  mistake,  having  inquired  about  it  at  Kharbin 

146 


ch.  xiv  Ashiho 

only  two  days  previously,  that  we  went  down  to  the 
station  in  good  time  for  the  usual  9  o'clock  train,  and 
were  rewarded  by  learning  that  the  hour  and  not  the 
date  of  the  train  had  been  altered,  and  that  it  would 
pass  through  Ashiho  at  10  o'clock.  After  waiting 
for  an  hour  in  the  restaurant,  where  a  party  of  the 
attendants  were  playing  cards,  the  ticket  office  was 
opened,  but  they  absolutely  refused  to  sell  tickets  to 
us,  saying  that  the  express  only  stopped  for  half  a 
minute,  and  that  we  could  not  get  into  it.  We  vainly 
protested  that  having  no  registered  luggage  we  would 
take  our  chance  of  getting  into  the  train,  and  that 
we  must  go  by  it,  as  we  had  the  long  journey  to 
Irkutsk  before  us.  The  reiteration  of  this  fact  for 
about  five  minutes  without  stopping  at  last  began  to 
tell,  and  the  official  said  he  must  see  what  small 
luggage  we  had.  After  due  inspection  he  agreed  to 
let  us  have  tickets,  but  we  had  to  pay  for  them 
from  a  point  about  fifty  miles  up  the  line,  which 
meant  twenty-one  roubles  instead  of  the  four  and  a 
half  we  had  paid  on  coming.  The  next  difficulty 
was  that  the  ticket  office  contained  no  change  and 
seemed  unable  to  get  any,  so  we  had  to  borrow  the 
requisite  amount  from  our  friends.  When  the  train 
did  arrive  each  of  our  friends  stood  ready  holding  an 
article  of  luggage  ready  to  hurl  it  into  the  corridor, 
and  of  course  there  was  no  difficulty  in  getting  both 
our  belongings  and  ourselves  into  it.  We  were  soon 
comfortably  established  in  the  coupe  which  we  were 
to  occupy  for   the  next   two  days,  that  is,  until   we 

147 


The  Face  of  Korea  ch.  xiv 

should  reach   Irkutsk,  where  all  passengers  have  to 
change. 

At  Kharbin  there  was  a  hopeless  scrimmage  for 
places,  as  those  booked  in  advance  for  passengers 
from  the  south  had  all  been  appropriated  by  a  large 
party  of  Americans  at  Vladivostock,  and  the  ladies 
had  discreetly  retired  to  bed.  It  is  always  asserted 
that  there  is  plenty  of  room  on  the  Russian  State 
Express  in  contradistinction  to  the  International 
Sleeping  Car,  and  that  it  is  unnecessary  to  book  places 
in  advance.  Evidently  this  was  a  fallacy,  for  every 
berth  was  full,  and  it  was  only  after  long  and  acri- 
monious arguing  that  the  officials  agreed  to  put  on 
an  extra  carriage,  and  a  very  dirty  one  it  proved  to  be. 
Great  dissatisfaction  was  caused  by  this  arrangement, 
and  we  were  over  an  hour  late  in  starting.  We  had 
been  frequently  assured  that  we  should  find  the  State 
Express  more  comfortable  than  the  International,  but 
such  is  by  no  means  the  case.  The  only  point  in  which 
it  excels  is  in  the  smoothness  of  running,  in  every 
other  respe<5t  it  is  inferior.  The  carriages  are  smaller, 
there  is  no  dressing-room  in  the  first-class  coupes, 
there  are  no  second-class  coupes  (only  carriages  for 
four  people),  the  washing  basins  would  not  hold 
water,  there  was  no  soap  or  towel,  the  restaurant  car 
was  far  too  small,  and  the  meals  were  not  to  the  taste 
of  any  of  the  passengers.  A  piano  in  the  restaurant 
does  not  compensate  for  such  deficiencies. 


PART  III 
The  Face  of  Russian  Turkestan 


THE  FACE  OF  RUSSIAN 
TURKESTAN 


CHAPTER   XV 

Through   Siberia 

THE  railway  from  Kharbin  passes  through 
Manchuria  in  a  north-westerly  direction 
till  it  comes  to  the  town  of  that  name, 
where  the  customs  examination  takes  place  before 
entering  Russian  territory.  In  a  magazine  article 
recently  written  by  a  French  lady,  she  complains  of 
having  been  examined  at  four  different  places  on  the 
line,  and  in  a  very  thorough  manner,  the  sleeves  of 
coats  being  ripped  open,  and  thebeddingof  the  sleeping 
car  being  pulled  to  pieces,  but  we  saw  nothing  of  this 
sort,  and  I  think  there  must  have  been  some  suspicion 
on  the  part  of  the  police.  Registered  luggage  is  a 
much  more  serious  affair,  and  endless  were  the  stories 
we  heard  from  fellow-passengers  of  the  losses  they  had 
sustained — one  passenger  had  waited  a  whole  week  for 
his  at  Moscow.  For  those  who  like  ourselves  take 
all  their  luggage  in  the  railway  carriage,  the  examina- 
tion was  a  mere  farce,  consisting  of  the  verbal  inquiry, 

151 


The   Face  of  Russian    Turkestan      ch.  xv 

"  Have  you  any  spirits,  tobacco,  or  playing  cards  ?"  to 
which  is  sometimes  added  a  cursory  examination  of 
the  bedding  to  see  if  any  dutiable  article  has  been 
concealed  there. 

It  is  a  great  convenience  that  passengers  can  take  so 
much  luggage  in  the  carriage  without  inconvenience. 
In  the  Russian  State  Express  there  is  not  nearly  so 
much  accommodation  as  in  the  International  Sleeping 
Cars,  where  there  is  a  large  recess  over  the  door,  ex- 
tending above  the  corridor,  in  which  there  was  ample 
room  for  two  suit  cases  and  two  bags  of  bedding. 
Besides  this  there  were  racks  for  smaller  objects  in  the 
other  part  of  the  carriage.  The  space  is  so  consider- 
able in  the  first-class  carriages  that  the  upper  berth  is 
at  right  angles  to  the  lower,  which  is  consequently 
very  much  pleasanter  than  when  it  is  immediately 
below  the  other  berth,  leaving  no  space  to  sit  upright. 
There  is  a  nice  dressing-room  between  every  two 
coupes,  where  hot  and  cold  water  is  laid  on,  and  this 
is  really  an  inestimable  boon  on  a  long  journey.  The 
hot  water  supply  is  somewhat  variable,  so  we  generally 
supplemented  it  by  buying  extra.  In  some  of  the 
trains  no  charge  is  made  for  it  ;  in  others  it  costs  2^d. 
If  for  no  other  reason  than  the  dressing-room,  I  should 
advise  all  first-class  passengers  to  go  by  the  Inter- 
national rather  than  by  the  Russian  State  Express. 
One  is  also  less  worried  by  the  official  trio  coming  to 
inspedt  tickets.  It  seems  odd  that  on  all  Russian  trains 
it  requires  three  men  to  fulfil  so  simple  a  duty,  but  no 
doubt  it   is   an   example  of  the  suspiciousness  which 

i52 


ch.  xv  Through  Sibe?~ia 

seems  to  permeate  all  officialdom  in  this  country. 
There  is  a  comfortable  chair  and  table,  so  that  pas- 
sengers can  sit  facing  one  another.  This  is  no  small 
convenience  on  so  long  a  journey,  especially  when  you 
prefer  having  some  meals  in  your  own  carriage. 

It  is  not  only  pleasanter  but  wiser  not  to  have  more 
than  one  solid  meal  a  day  on  the  journey,  and  we  could 
not  help  being  amused  at  the  general  collapse  of  a  large 
number  of  passengers  on  the  third  day,  evidently  the 
result  of  imprudence  in  this  matter.  In  the  restaurant 
book  of  food  (I  can  call  it  by  no  other  name)  there  was 
a  page  of  "fasting  dishes"  which  was,  I  fear,  neglected. 
We  found  that  a  judiciously  stocked  luncheon  basket, 
added  to  the  facilities  for  securing  scalded  milk,  bread, 
excellent  butter,  and  eggs,  made  it  unnecessary  to  spend 
much  time  in  the  restaurant  car.  This  was  not  so 
important  in  the  International  Sleeping  Car  as  in  the 
Russian  State  Express,  for  although  the  dining-car 
was  atrociously  hot  and  crowded,  the  meals  were 
served  promptly,  but  in  the  latter  we  were  an  hour  and 
a  half  having  a  lunch  of  five  courses,  so  we  determined 
after  that  experience  to  order  our  meal  in  advance  and 
a  la  carte.  By  so  doing  we  saved  a  great  deal  of  time, 
but  we  were  obliged  to  have  it  at  an  unseasonable  hour. 
That  did  not  matter  much,  as  we  altered  our  hours  in 
accordance  with  the  "  Daylight  Saving  Bill,"  and  so 
profited  in  various  ways.  In  order  to  have  comfort- 
able time  for  washing,  without  having  other  people 
hammering  on  the  door,  it  was  most  convenient  to 
rise  at  5  o'clock,  and  it  was  equally  convenient  to  go 

J53 


The  Face  of  Russian    Turkestan      ch.  xv 

to  bed  as  soon  as  it  was  dark,  because  all  Russian  trains 
economise  in  light.  Even  a  first-class  carriage  has 
only  a  single  candle  for  all  illumination,  and  that  is 
placed  in  a  lantern  above  the  door,  so  that  it  only- 
serves  to  reveal  the  darkness. 

Leaving  Manchuria  we  passed  into  the  Trans- 
Baikal  province,  at  the  western  side  of  which  lies 
Lake  Baikal,  and  to  our  no  small  surprise  and  dis- 
appointment, winter  still  reigned  supreme.  Beautiful 
forests  of  birch  and  pine  trees  broke  the  monotony 
of  the  plains,  and  drifts  of  snow  still  lingered  in  the 
hollows,  where  sun  or  wind  had  failed  to  chase  it. 
It  was,  of  course,  very  different  from  when  we  crossed 
it  in  February,  with  the  thermometer  at  thirty  degrees 
below  zero,  but  we  still  found  winter  clothing  neces- 
sary, and  were  bitterly  disappointed  to  see  none  of  the 
lovely  flowers  which  transform  the  dreary  plains  into 
flower  gardens.  We  had  been  told  that  the  del- 
phiniums were  a  dream  of  beauty,  but  we  saw  none, 
and  I  imagine  the  end  of  May  or  beginning  of  June 
would  be  a  much  better  time  to  travel  across  Siberia, 
in  spite  of  the  facl:  that  the  trains  are  then  crowded, 
and  it  is  necessary  to  secure  seats  months  beforehand, 
or  trust  to  getting  one  that  accidentally  falls  vacant 
nearer  the  time. 

Lake  Baikal  was  still  completely  frost-bound,  and 
looked  beautiful  glittering  in  the  morning  sunlight, 
withsnow-capped  mountains  enclosing  it  on  every  side. 
The  only  disappointment  about  Lake  Baikal  is  that 
the  mountains  are  too  distant  to  look  really  grand  and 

154 


ch.  xv  Through  Siberia 

awe-inspiring.  The  steamer  which  plies  on  the  lake 
during  the  summer  from  Baikal  station  was  still  lying 
close  alongside  it.  Turning  westward  almost  imme- 
diately after  leaving  it,  the  railway  line  follows  the 
course  of  the  river  Angara  for  about  one  and  a  half 
hours,  till  it  reaches  Irkutsk,  the  present  seat  of 
government. 

Irkutsk  was  a  trading  town  founded  in  1652,  but 
was  almost  completely  destroyed  by  fire  in  1879.  It 
is  striking  in  appearance  as  one  approaches  it  by  the 
long  railway  bridge  across  the  river,  and  is  finely 
situated,  with  an  imposing  railway  station.  As  we 
crossed  the  bridge  we  saw  the  fine  bridge  of  boats 
used  in  summer  still  lying  alongside  the  bank  in  its 
winter  quarters,  for  large  masses  of  loose  ice  floated 
past,  blocking  the  river.  But  although  Irkutsk  has 
a  certain  comeliness  of  appearance,  and  is  the  centre 
of  intellectual  activity  in  Siberia,  it  is  not  altogether 
a  desirable  place  to  live  in,  for  not  only  is  the  climate 
trying,  but  report  says  that  it  is  imprudent  for  any 
one  to  go  about  unarmed.  The  great  prisons  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  Irkutsk  have  for  generations  been 
the  place  where  the  worst  criminals  of  the  Empire, 
as  well  as  political  exiles  have  been  sent,  and  when 
their  term  of  service  has  expired  they  are  let  loose 
on  the  community,  the  only  regulation  being  that 
they  shall  remain  there.  The  result  is  that  the  present 
population  contains  not  only  the  present  released 
convicls,  but  also  a  considerable  number  of  the  de- 
scendents  of  former  convi6ts  of  the  worst  type. 

iS5 


The  Face  of  Russian    Turkestan      ch.  xv 

Irkutsk,  is  in  the  centre  of  the  gold  district,  which 
attracts  also  a  somewhat  undesirable  class  of  people. 
It  is  not,  I  think,  generally  known  what  a  large 
quantity  of  gold  is  found  in  Siberia,  but  about  five 
millions  worth  is  annually  sent  into  Russia.  This  by 
no  means  represents  all  that  is  found,  although  the 
Government  requires  that  it  should  all  pass  through 
Irkutsk,  and  thence  be  forwarded  to  Russia. 
Smuggling  is  reported  to  be  extensively  carried  on, 
and  a  considerable  Chinese  population  are  credited 
with  the  bulk  of  it.  The  working  of  the  gold 
diggings  is  said  by  experts  to  be  amazingly  primitive. 
Large  fortunes  are  both  made  and  squandered  in 
Irkutsk.  Not  only  gold  but  tea  is  a  great  source 
of  wealth,  although  the  trade  in  the  latter  is  by  no 
means  so  great  as  it  used  to  be  in  the  old  caravan 
days.  At  the  present  time  by  far  the  largest  quantity 
of  it  is  sent  round  by  sea  ;  but  there  are  still  many 
Russians  who  believe  that  the  flavour  of  the  tea  is 
spoilt  by  sea  air,  so  that  the  demand  for  caravan  tea 
continues.  It  is  said  that  wealth  in  Irkutsk  is  esti- 
mated by  a  man's  furs  and  by  a  woman's  furs  and 
jewels.  Curiously  enough  Sunday  labour  is  entirely 
prohibited  in  this  town,  and  fine  and  imprisonment 
may  follow  the  breaking  of  the  law  with  regard  to 
buying  and  selling.  Trade  is  greatly  hampered 
throughout  the  Russian  Empire  by  the  corruption  of 
officials,  of  whom  there  are  an  incalculable  number  ; 
and  it  is  the  Jews  who  form  the  most  successful  part 
of  the  trading  community.     There  is  always  a  long 

156 


ch.  xv  Through  Siberia 

halt  at  Irkutsk  station,  varying  from  one  and  a  half 
to  two  and  a  half  hours,  for  passengers  have  to  change 
trains  on  account  of  the  difference  of  the  line  in 
gauge,  and  when  travelling  by  the  Russian  State 
Express  it  is  necessary  to  have  tickets  vise-ed  and 
fresh  places  allotted.  On  the  International  you  are 
saved  this  because  the  places  are  numbered  and 
passengers  are  required  to  keep  the  same  number  in 
both  trains,  so  there  is  no  confusion  in  having  the 
luggage  transferred  from  one  to  the  other.  Having 
to  get  fresh  ones  was  decidedly  tiresome,  as  there 
seemed  to  be  no  method  in  the  madness  of  the  officials, 
their  knowledge  of  other  languages  than  their  own 
was  almost  nil,  and  their  slowness  phenomenal.  One 
of  our  English  fellow-passengers  seemed  to  have  a 
great  deal  to  say,  and  knew  no  Russian,  so  he  had 
secured  the  services  of  a  Chinese  waiter  from  the 
restaurant  car  who  acled  as  interpreter  with  complete 
success.  I  do  not  think  I  am  wrong  in  saying  that 
the  issuing  of  fresh  tickets  took  more  than  three- 
quarters  of  an  hour,  and  confusion  reigned  in  the 
train  for  more  than  double  the  time. 

During  the  first  two  days  of  our  return  journey 
we  had  suffered  from  continual  snow-storms  and  a 
leaden  sky,  but  after  leaving  Irkutsk  the  weather 
improved,  and  the  sun  shone  most  of  the  time.  The 
land  is  sparsely  inhabited  ;  at  the  close  of  the  last 
century  the  density  of  population  was  given  in  the 
official  census  as  two  to  the  square  mile  in  the 
province    of   Irkutsk.      If  Siberia    be    taken    as    an 

157 


The  Face  of  Russian   Turkestan     ch.  xv 

example  of  the  effects  of  land  nationalisation,  few 
people,  I  think,  will  be  attracted  by  it  ;  out  of  an 
area  of  3,240,000,000  square  miles  no  less  than 
3,104,000,000  belong  to  the  State.  There  is  only 
one  province,  the  Amur  region,  in  which  land  can 
be  purchased.  It  is  the  Russian  village  communities 
who  hold  the  land  when  it  has  been  allotted  for 
industrial  enterprises.  All  along  the  line  we  were 
interested  in  seeing  the  colonists  travelling  to  their 
various  destinations  ;  they  were  taken  in  slow  trains 
densely  packed,  and  when  they  came  to  the  stations 
where  they  had  to  change  they  and  their  belongings 
were  dumped  down  for  an  apparently  indefinite 
number  of  hours  on  the  station,  and  there  they 
remained,  eating  and  sleeping  in  the  midst  of  their 
baggage  till  it  was  time  to  start  afresh.  There 
are  sheds  for  them  to  be  housed  in  when  the  weather 
prevents  their  being  out  of  doors.  They  seemed  to 
have  practically  no  furniture  with  them,  and  some  of 
them  were  remarkably  well  dressed  in  comparison 
with  what  one  would  have  expected.  They  are  all 
obliged  to  have  passports  just  like  foreigners. 

Up  to  the  year  1901  there  was  an  average  of 
nearly  20,000  exiles  sent  yearly  to  Siberia  ;  many  of 
these  exiles  settled  down  and  helped  to  civilise  the 
land.  They  founded  twelve  Natural  History  and 
Ethnological  Museums,  besides  starting  scientific 
societies.  Now  the  Government  has  altered  the 
system,  and  great  efforts  are  being  made  to  send 
another  class  of  colonists,  the  political  exiles  being 

158 


ch.  xv  Through  Siberia 

driven  to  more  uninhabitable  regions.  It  seems  a 
pity  that  the  Russian  Empire,  which  extends  over 
an  area  of  no  less  than  one-sixth  of  the  territorial 
globe,  should  leave  this  fertile  land  of  Siberia,  much 
of  it  the  finest  grazing  ground  in  the  world,  and 
other  parts  excellent  wheat-growing  land,  so  sparsely 
inhabited,  while  it  stretches  envious  hands  into 
Manchuria,  the  land  which  China  imperatively 
requires  as  the  natural  outlet  for  her  surplus  popula- 
tion. 

At  the  railway  stations  all  sorts  of  queer  people  are 
to  be  seen,  the  men  mostly  wearing  bright-coloured 
shirts,  and  tall  red  leather,  or  felt  boots  ;  but  the 
nomadic  tribes  of  Buriats,  who  cultivate  parts  of  the 
country  with  great  industry  and  success,  are  not  often 
to  be  seen  near  the  railway.  The  Buriats  on  the 
eastern  side  of  Lake  Baikal  are  Buddhists,  but  those  on 
the  west  still  cling  to  their  original  religion — Shaman- 
ism. This  mainly  consists  in  the  worship  of  gods, 
called  "  Ongons,"  supposed  to  protect  both  house 
and  property.  The  former  are  hung  up  in  a  box 
inside  the  house  ;  the  latter,  along  with  the  skins  of 
squirrels  and  other  small  animals  are  in  a  box 
fastened  to  the  top  of  a  pole,  with  a  little  roof  over 
it  in  the  fields.  Every  man  has  his  own  Ongon  as 
soon  as  he  marries,  and  when  he  dies  it  is  taken  down 
from  the  pole  and  hung  up  in  the  woods,  where  it 
eventually  rots  to  pieces. 

In  a  most  interesting  volume  the  American  linguist 
and    ethnologist,  Jeremiah    Curtin,    describes    these 

159 


The  Face  of  Russia?!    Turkestan      ch.  xv 

strange  tribes.  He  tells  how  he  witnessed  the  Horse 
Sacrifice,  one  of  the  most  ancient  of  Mongol  cere- 
monials, and  which  is  still  perpetuated  among  Buriat 
clans.  He  saw  it  performed  in  1900  on  a  hill  called 
Uher,  about  seven  miles  from  Usturdi,  which  is  some 
forty  miles  from  Irkutsk.  There  are  fifteen  large 
altars  on  the  hill,  on  which  the  sacrifices  are  offered  to 
the  Burkans  (namely  the  gods)  of  the  hill.  These  gods 
include  "  The  Lofty  Clear  Heaven,"  "  The  Revered 
Pure  Earth,"  "  Bull  Prince  Father,"  "  Blessed  Mother 
Mist,"  "The  Creating  Great  One"  (the  hedgehog, 
who  is  considered  by  the  Buriats  to  be  the  wisest 
of  all  deities),  "  Grandfather  Bald  Head,"  "  Creator 
of  Cattle,"  "Crooked  Back,"  &c.  The  different 
families  of  the  first  and  second  divisions  of  the  clan 
Ashekhabat  have  each  their  own  place  near  one 
or  other  of  the  altars.  The  leaders  of  the  ceremony 
invoke  all  the  different  deities  by  name  and  in  turn, 
while  the  people  pray  either  aloud  or  in  silence  for 
what  they  want.  Then  the  horses  are  killed,  and 
after  that  they  are  rapidly  skinned  and  dismembered, 
the  bones  being  burnt  in  roaring  fires  on  the  fifteen 
altars.  The  flesh  is  boiled  in  iron  kettles,  and  when 
it  is  cooked  all  the  people  stand  in  groups  by  the 
altars,  receding  and  advancing  towards  them  at 
intervals,  and  reciting  the  following  invocation  to  the 
deities,  together  with  any  special  petitions  of  their 
own. 

"  We  pray  that  we  may  receive  from  you  a  blessing. 
From  among  fat  cattle  we  have  chosen  out  meat  for 

160 


ch.  xv  Through  Siberia 

you.  We  have  made  strong  tarasun  (a  liquor  dis- 
tilled from  milk)  for  you.  Let  our  ulus  (villages)  be 
one  verst  longer.  Create  cattle  in  our  enclosures  ; 
under  our  blankets  create  a  son  ;  send  down  rain 
from  high  heaven  to  us ;  cause  much  grass  to  grow  ; 
create  so  much  grain  that  sickle  cannot  rase  it,  and 
so  much  grass  that  scythe  cannot  cut  it.  Let  no 
wolves  out  unless  wolves  that  are  toothless  ;  and  no 
stones  unless  stones  without  sharp  corners  or  edges. 
Hover  above  our  foreheads.  Hover  behind  our 
heads.  Look  on  us  without  anger.  Help  those  of 
us  who  forget  what  we  know.  Rouse  those  of  us 
who  are  sleeping  (in  spirit).  In  a  harsh  year  (a  year 
of  trouble)  be  compassion.  In  a  difficult  year  (a  year 
of  want)  be  kindness  (in  sense  of  help).  Black  spirits 
lead  farther  away  from  us  ;  bright  spirits  lead  hither, 
nearer  ;  grey  spirits  lead  farther  away  from  us. 
Burkans  lead  hither  to  us.  Green  grass  give  in  the 
mouths  (of  cattle).  Let  me  walk  over  the  first  snow. 
If  I  am  timid  be  my  courage.  If  I  am  ashamed,  be 
a  proper  face  to  me.  Above  be  as  a  coverlid,  below 
be  as  a  felt  bed  to  me." — ("  A  Journey  in  Southern 
Siberia,"  page  47.)  After  this  prayer  the  worshippers 
all  sat  down  in  groups  to  eat  the  horse-flesh  and 
drink  tarasun,  while  many  vultures  hovered  round  to 
share  the  flesh.  After  this  strange  sacrifice  is  ended 
the  Buriats  indulge  in  wrestling. 

At  Usturdi  there  is  a  Russian  Orthodox  Mission 
Church,  and  the  Bible  Society  has  undertaken  to 
publish   the  Gospel  of  St.   Matthew  in   the  Buriat 

161  L 


The  Face  of  Russian   Turkesta?i      ch.  xv 

language.  It  seems  strange  that  such  uncivilised 
beings  as  those  who  would  take  part  in  the  ceremonial 
described  above,  should  be  sufficiently  literate  to  have 
a  use  for  the  Gospel  ;  but  it  is  estimated  that  all  the 
Buriats  in  the  north,  and  nearly  all  those  in  the  south, 
will  be  able  to  read  it.  The  population  is  about 
290,000.  The  translation  has  been  made  by  the 
Irkutsk  Translation  Committee,  and  is  to  be  printed  in 
Russ  characters,  as  most  of  the  Buriats  are  able  to 
understand  them.  Mr.  Curtin  mentions  a  young 
Buriat  whom  he  met  as  having  studied  six  years  at 
the  Irkutsk  gymnasium,  and  possessing  a  knowledge 
of  history  and  science,  besides  being  a  considerable 
reader,  so  that  evidently  they  are  not  uninfluenced 
by  education. 

The  next  province  through  which  the  railway 
passes  is  the  Yenisei,  which  stretches  right  away  up 
to  the  Arctic  Ocean,  and  which  at  once  conjures  up 
in  one's  mind  visions  of  Merriman's  novels  :  it  is  one 
of  the  largest  provinces  in  the  empire,  consisting  of 
987,186  square  miles,  but  has  only  an  average  of  one 
person  to  the  square  mile.  The  city  of  Krasnojarsk  is 
the  largest  and  most  interesting  on  the  railway  ;  there 
are  about  30,000  foreigners  living  in  this  district, 
most  of  them  Tartars  ;  it  is  the  principal  seat  of 
Government,  and  lies  just  half-way  between  Moscow 
and  Vladivostock  on  this  wonderful  railway.  The 
whole  length  of  the  railway  is  5449  miles,  and  with 
the  exception  of  the  193  miles  round  Lake  Baikal, 
it  was    completed  in  an  extraordinarily  short  space 


162 


ch.  xv  Through  Siberia 

of  time,  between  eight  and  nine  years,  at  a  cost  of, 
roughly  speaking,  £85,000,000.  It  is  fairly  correct 
to  say  that  it  was  built  at  the  rate  of  about  a  mile 
a  day.  At  the  distance  of  one  verst  (namely,  two- 
thirds  of  a  mile)  apart,  there  are  guard  houses  all  along 
the  line,  each  under  the  care  of  an  ex-convict,  who 
comes  out  of  his  house  to  wave  a  green  flag  when  the 
train  passes,  or  more  frequently  it  is  a  barefooted  wife 
or  daughter  who  does  it  for  him.  There  is  a  fine 
view  of  Krasnoyarsk  from  the  train  as  you  approach  it, 
for  the  line  makes  a  wide  circular  sweep  before  cross- 
ing the  River  Yenisei,  on  which  it  is  situated.  Of  all 
the  noble  rivers  which  flow  through  Siberia,  the 
Yenisei  is  the  greatest  ;  it  rises  in  the  mountains  of 
the  distant  Chinese  province  of  Kobdo  in  Mongolia, 
over  3000  miles  from  the  Arctic  Sea,  and  makes  its 
impetuous  way  through  the  mountains  of  Sagansk, 
then  through  the  strange,  tundra  region,  with  its 
countless  islands  and  trackless  wastes — the  great  nesting 
place  of  myriads  of  migratory  birds,  who  come  there 
led  by  some  marvellous  instinct  at  the  exact  time  of 
year  when  the  snow  melts,  uncovering  the  berries 
which  form  the  requisite  food  for  the  nestlings.  The 
Yenisei  is  only  navigable  for  a  little  over  six  months 
of  the  year,  and  the  ceremony  of  cutting  the  ice, 
which  closes  its  mouth  on  the  Arctic  Sea,  takes  place 
always  on  June  10th. 

The  next  province  on  the  route  is  that  of  Tomsk, 
but  the  principal  town,  which  has  the  same  name, 

lies  to  the  north  of  the  Trans-Siberian  Railway,  and  is 

163 


The  Face  of  Russian    Turkesta7i      ch.  xv 

only  connected  with  it  by  a  branch  line  from  Taiga, 
thenearest  point  to  it  on  the  main  line,  which  is  eighty- 
two  versts  or,  roughly  speaking,  54  miles  distant.  The 
reason  why  Tomsk  is  not  on  the  main  line  is  that  the 
city  refused  to  bribe  the  surveyors  and  engineers  who 
planned  the  route.  This  accounts  for  the  fact  that 
so  many  places,  which  might  quite  easily  have  been 
on  the  line,  are  more  or  less  distant  from  the  railway, 
according  to  their  willingness  to  pay.  It  takes  four 
hours  by  rail  from  Taiga  to  Tomsk.  It  must  be  most 
injurious  to  trade  to  have  such  difficulties  as  these, 
and  such  unnecessary  ones.  Tomsk  boasts  the  only 
university  in  Siberia,  but  this  is  still  incomplete, 
and  has  only  about  500  students.  Education  has 
been  discouraged  in  this  as  in  every  part  of  the 
Russian  Empire,  and  although  the  money  required 
for  a  university  at  Irkutsk  was  offered, the  Government 
refused  to  grant  permission  for  it  to  be  established. 
The  number  of  schools  in  1901  was  only  3909  for 
the  whole  of  Siberia,  and  the  scholars  attending  them 
115,407,  while  the  population  was  estimated  at 
5,727,090  ;  these  figures  need  no  comment,  and  my 
authority  for  them  is  Prince  Krapotkin. 

The  only  important  town  in  the  province  on  the 
railway  line  is  Omsk,  where  we  learnt  (by  telegram) 
the  death  of  the  King.  The  news  came  like  a  thunder- 
clap, and  cast  a  gloom  over  every  English  person  on 
the  train.  What  made  it  doubly  trying  was  the 
impossibility  for  weeks  to  come  of  getting  any  further 
news.     The  town  of  Omsk  is  on  the  River  Irtish. 

164 


ch.  xv  Through   Siberia 

The  number  of  rivers  in  the  country  adds  greatly  to 
the  charm  of  the  journey,  and  they  have  been  the 
chief  highways  of  the  empire  in  the  past  ;  the  bridges 
over  them  are  remarkably  fine.  We  began  to  re- 
joice in  the  sight  of  wild  flowers  once  more,  and 
children  brought  bunches  of  marigolds  and  anemones 
to  the  stations  for  sale,  but  generally  they  were  tied 
up  into  tight  little  bunches  without  any  leaves,  and 
were  quite  wilted.  The  main  occupation  of  some  of 
the  passengers  seemed  to  be  that  of  putting  on  fresh 
clothes,  and  showing  them  off  at  the  stations  where 
we  had  an  opportunity  at  least  half-a-dozen  times 
every  day  of  getting  a  brief  constitutional.  We  learnt 
that  passengers  were  allowed  to  visit  the  luggage 
van,  as  on  board  ship,  and  get  out  fresh  supplies  of 
dresses,  but  it  did  seem  rather  unnecessary,  consider- 
ing the  amount  of  luggage  taken  in  the  carriages. 

The  next  province  through  which  the  railway 
passes  is  that  of  Tobolsk,  but  it  only  skirts  its  southern 
border,  which  adjoins  the  steppes  inhabited  by  Cossacks 
and  nomadic  tribes,  whose  caravans  may  be  seen  in 
the  busy  markets  of  Petropavlosk,  which  was  founded 
in  1752  as  a  protection  against  the  Kirghiz  Cossacks. 
About  one-third  of  its  population  is  Mohammedan, 
and  the  Greek  Orthodox  Church  has  a  mission  in  the 
province  for  them  :  the  present  staff  of  the  mission 
consists  of  thirteen  priests,  twelve  assistants,  two 
deacons,  and  one  Psalm  reader.  Last  year  they 
baptized  eight  Mohammedans.     They  have   a   very 

small  educational  work.  The  Greek  Orthodox  Church 

165 


The  Face  of  Russian    Tu?~kestan      ch.  xv 

has  various  missions  scattered  through  Siberia,  and  the 
Russian  Government  does  not  allow  any  foreign  ones, 
which  seems  the  greater  pity  when  it  is  considered 
how  inadequate  in  every  respect  are  those  of  the  Greek 
Church  —  they  only  number  nine.  Everywhere 
in  the  cities  we  saw  the  beautiful  green  domes  and 
spires  of  the  churches,  but  very  little  is  done  for  the 
religious  welfare  of  the  people  in  the  country  districts, 
and  for  the  most  part  they  are  in  a  state  of  profound 
ignorance  ;  religion  is  summed  up  in  (a)  the  worship 
paid  to  the  ikon,  (a  little  coloured  print  of  our  Lord, 
or  of  the  Virgin,  or  of  a  saint),  which  is  to  be  found, 
not  only  in  all  private  houses,  but  in  every  waiting- 
room  or  restaurant  on  the  railway,  and  in  (/3)  certain 
religious  ceremonies  at  special  times  of  the  year,  and 
on  special  occasions. 

After  leaving  Tobolsk,  the  next  important  station 
passed  on  the  line  is  Cheliabinsk,  in  the  province  of 
Orenbourg,  the  first  town  over  the  border  into  Europe. 
The  frontier  between  Asiatic  and  European  Russia  is 
crossed  about  104  miles  to  the  east  of  it,  and  is 
marked  by  an  obelisk  on  the  left  hand  side  of  the 
line  at  its  highest  point,  which  may  be  seen  soon 
after  leaving  Kurgan.  Cheliabinsk  is  a  cosmopolitan 
centre  ;  it  is  the  real  starting-point  of  the  Trans- 
Siberian  line,  and  is  the  jun6tion  where  the  line 
divides,  the  one  going  north  to  St.  Petersburg,  and 
the  other  west  to  Moscow.  The  Russian  State 
Express  runs  once  a  week  from  each  of  these  cities  to 
Vladivostock,  and  also  in  the  opposite  direction. 


166 


ch.  xv  Through  Siberia 

We  were  much  pleased  with  the  way  our  carriages 
and  corridors  were  cleaned  out  daily  while  we  were 
stopping  at  stations.  A  little  army  of  women 
swarmed  into  the  train  directly  it  stopped,  provided 
with  buckets  of  hot  water,  and  they  washed  out  the 
whole  place  quite  efficaciously  and  with  great  rapidity. 
It  is  really  much  better  to  have  oilcloth  on  the  floors 
rather  than  carpet,  for  the  sake  of  cleanliness.  The 
dusting  of  the  carriages  was  done  every  morning  by 
the  attendant  after  he  had  made  the  beds,  and  he 
kept  them  quite  nice  and  tidy.  The  one  thing  that 
provoked  me  through  all  our  travelling  in  Russia, 
however,  was  the  fact  that  the  attendants  had  keys 
which  opened  all  the  bolts,  so  that  they  could  come 
in  whenever  they  choose,  and  the  art  of  knocking 
before  entering  was  unknown  to  most  of  them.  They 
generally  seemed  to  select  the  most  inappropriate 
moment  for  coming  in,  when  one  was  either  dressing 
or  undressing  ;  but  fortunately  all  travelling  tends  to 
blunt  one's  susceptibilities  on  such  points. 

The  ninth  day  after  leaving  Kharbin  we  reached 
Kinel,  the  next  station  before  reaching  Samara,  the 
real  junction  for  the  Turkestan  line.  There  was  only 
a  small  margin  of  time  allowed  for  changing  train 
there,  so  we  decided  it  was  better  to  have  to  wait 
unduly  long  at  Kinel,  rather  than  run  the  risk  of 
missing  our  train  and  waiting  twenty-four  hours  for 
the  next  one.  We  got  out  at  a  most  dreary  hour, 
which  seems  to  be  rather  frequently  the  case  on 
Russian  railways,  considering  how  few  are  the  trains  ; 

167 


The  Face  of  Russian   Turkesta?i      ch.  xv 

it  was  between  one  and  two  o'clock  in  the  morning, 
and  our  baggage  was  deposited  in  the  ladies'  waiting- 
room,  where  we  found  the  only  sofa  filled  with  babies. 
A  considerable  number  of  passengers  had  their  lug- 
gage in  the  adjoining  restaurant,  where  they  slept  or 
smoked.  The  atmosphere  was  decidedly  trying,  so  I 
spent  most  of  the  time  pacing  up  and  down  the  plat- 
form, watching  the  dawn  grow,  for  even  at  that 
early  hour  there  was  a  broad  belt  of  orange  light  lying 
along  the  horizon.  At  fitful  intervals  one  and  another 
of  the  passengers  would  come  out  for  a  breath  of  fresh 
air,  or  order  drinks  from  the  somnolent  attendants. 
It  appeared  to  be  the  natural  thing  for  people  to  be 
spending  the  night  at  the  station,  though  no  train 
disturbed  the  peace  of  the  place  for  several  hours. 
Not  one  of  the  officials  seemed  able  to  speak  or  under- 
stand any  language  but  Russian,  so  I  addressed  a 
young  German  tourist  to  ask  for  information.  He 
told  me  that  there  were  no  sleeping  berths  on  the 
summer  trains  for  Tashkent,  the  "  wagon  lits  "  service 
being  suspended  on  the  first  of  May,  but  that  we 
should  find  the  ordinary  carriages  thoroughly  comfort- 
able, the  second  class  quite  as  good  as  the  first  (in 
which  we  proved  him  to  be  correct),  for  all  the  trains 
are  arranged  with  a  view  to  night  travelling.  He 
also  told  us  that  instead  of  the  journey  taking  five 
days  (as  we  had  been  informed  when  we  made  inquiries 
at  Peking),  it  would  only  take  three.  Later  on  we 
discovered  there  was  a  wagon  lits  carriage  at  the 
rear  of  the  train  (without  a  single  passenger  in  it), 


1 68 


ch.  xv  Through  Siberia 

but  no  restaurant  car.  Encouraged,  I  suppose,  by 
the  pleasure  which  he  saw  depicled  on  my  face  at 
such  pleasant  news,  he  went  on  to  give  us  particulars 
of  our  route,  by  which  he  said  he  had  just  come  from 
Turkestan.  He  advised  us  to  go  by  the  Black  Sea 
instead  of  through  the  Caucasus,  saying  that  the 
journey  from  Tashkent  to  Vienna  by  that  route  took 
not  more  than yfw  days  ;  the  minimum  time  in  reality 
is  seven.  He  had  a  Russian  time-table,  quite  a  thick 
volume,  which  he  advised  us  to  purchase  ;  we  suc- 
ceeded in  buying  one  later  in  the  day  when  the  book- 
stall opened,  and  although  the  names  were  quite  a 
puzzle  in  Russian  characters,  it  provided  us  with 
constant  occupation,  both  in  deciphering  them,  and 
in  fitting  together  the  bits  of  the  route,  scattered  on 
at  least  a  dozen  different  pages.  In  the  station  at 
Kinel  they  had  rather  a  good  sort  of  map  in  a  large 
frame  on  the  wall  opposite  the  ticket-office,  arranged 
as  under.     As  there  are  so  few  trains  it  is  easier  than 


MOSCOW 

I '  f  50(1. 


2  J 


— (  KAZAN  \- 


169 


The  Face  of  Russian   Turkestan      ch.  xv 

it  would  be  on  our  lines,  but  such  a  map  would  be 
much  more  intelligible  for  cheap-trippers  than  our 
time-tables.  These  maps  we  saw  in  various  places 
later  on. 

Four  hours  wore  slowly  away,  and  at  last  the  ticket- 
office  opened,  and  I  presented  a  paper  with  "  Tash- 
kent— 2  klacce,"  and  held  up  two  fingers.  Travel- 
ing is  very  cheap  here  ;  from  Tashkent  to  Kinel,  a 
distance  of  13 14  miles,  the  tickets  are  approximately 
first  class,  £4,  5s.  od.,  second  class,  £2,  10s.  3d.,  third 
class,  jTi9  9s.  od.,  fourth  class,  14s.,  but  then  the  train 
goes  like  a  snail,  and  stops  perpetually.  The  third  and 
fourth  class  carriages  always  seemed  to  be  packed  with 
humanity,  and  the  passengers  lie  all  day,  as  well  as  all 
night  long,  on  shelves  one  above  the  other.  The  fuel 
used  both  on  this  line  and  on  the  Trans-Siberian  is 
entirely  wood,  so  they  have  to  be  continually  taking 
in  a  fresh  stock,  and  each  carriage  has  a  little  room 
for  its  own  special  heating  apparatus.  The  funnels 
of  the  engines  have  large  bulbs  at  the  top  to  prevent 
the  escape  of  sparks. 


170 


CHAPTER   XVI 

Into  Turkestan 

THE  first  day  we  travelled  through  a  vast  culti- 
vated plain,  and  the  landscape  was  dotted 
over  with  a  sprinkling  of  houses  and  many 
trees.  The  children  brought  forget-me-nots  and  ane- 
mones to  sell  at  the  wayside  stations  ;  but  on  this 
line  the  towns  and  hamlets  are  fewer  than  on  the  one 
we  had  just  left.  Though  the  land  seemed  so 
uninhabited  the  train  always  seemed  full,  and  the 
passengers  made  themselves  thoroughly  at  home. 
The  second-class  travellers,  who  were  going  any  dis- 
tance, put  on  fresh  clothes,  the  ladies  dressed  in 
neglige  costumes  like  tea-gowns.  One  amazingly 
stout  lady  put  on  a  muslin  gown  over  a  pink  slip,  and 
looked  just  like  an  animated  pin-cushion.  These 
people  seem  to  wear  all  their  jewels  too,  when  travel- 
ling, Often  it  was  difficult  to  imagine  where  the  few 
peoplevisible  at  the  stations  had  sprung  from, especially 
to  the  south  of  Orenburg.  This  is  one  of  the  only 
two  important  places  between  Kinel  and  Tashkent, 
and  is  the  principal  town  of  the  province  of  the  same 
name.  There  are  four  mission  stations  in  the  Oren- 
burg diocese,  and  twenty-seven  Mohammedans  were 

171 


The  Face  of  Russian   Turkestan      ch.  xvi 

baptized  last  year.  To  the  south  of  Orenburg  the 
land  becomes  more  and  more  desolate-looking,  and 
the  vegetation  is  so  sparse  that  one  can  hardly  believe 
it  is  possible  for  anything  to  subsist  upon  it.  Perhaps 
that  is  the  reason  why  the  Kirghiz  nomadic  tribes, 
who  inhabit  this  territory,  known  as  the  Kirghiz 
Steppes,  cultivate  a  peculiar  kind  of  sheep  called 
"  steatopyge  "  by  the  French  traveller  Capus.  This 
sheep  has  a  singularly  fat  tail,  sometimes  so  long  and 
heavy  that  it  has  to  go  on  a  little  wheeled  cart,  and 
it  is  this  tail  which  suffices  to  nourish  the  sheep  in 
time  of  scarcity  of  herbage,  in  the  same  way  that  the 
camel  is  said  to  live  on  his  hump ;  at  the  end  of  the 
winter  the  tail  has  dwindled  to  quite  ordinary  propor- 
tions. Unfortunately  we  did  not  see  any  of  these 
interesting  animals  (though  I  once  met  one  at  Dehli), 
but  during  the  following  days  we  saw  hardly  any 
living  things  but  camels,  much  used  also  by  the 
Kirghiz.  The  earth  seemed  utterly  barren,  and  exuded 
nothing  but  salt  ;  hour  by  hour  elapsed,  only  varied 
by  the  interest  of  stopping  at  some  wayside  station, 
standing  alone  in  the  desert,  where  samovars  full  of 
boiling  water  were  eagerly  sought  by  the  passengers 
with  their  various  pots  and  kettles  ;  the  ordinary 
charge  for  a  potful  is  three  farthings,  and  one  wonders 
how  the  poor  creatures  who  supply  it  are  able  to 
make  any  living  out  of  so  poor  a  harvest.  Their 
only  other  wares  are  eggs  (generally  hard  boiled), 
bottles  of  milk,  and  baskets  of  oranges  and  lemons. 
The  latter  are  always  in  request  for  Russian  tea,  and 

172 


ch.  xvi  Into   Turkestan 

fetch  a  better  price  than  most  things.  The  peasants 
look  most  amiable,  good-natured  creatures,  and  are 
eminently  picturesque  in  their  embroidered  blouses 
of  blue,  green,  scarlet,  or  white,  fastened  in  at  the 
waist  with  a  leathern  belt.  For  the  last  half  century 
the  Russians  have  been  gradually  colonising  the 
steppes.  Some  people  labour  under  the  impression 
that  the  agricultural  classes  are  not  only  happier 
but  also  more  successful  when  they  are  ignorant,  but 
this  has  certainly  not  proved  the  case  in  the  Russian 
Empire.  The  colonists  have  considerable  advantages 
offered  to  them  by  the  Government  in  the  way  of 
cheap  grain  and  agricultural  implements,  but  their 
ignorance  of  the  rotation  of  crops  and  the  necessity 
of  feeding  the  land  cause  them  to  exhaust  it  in  a  few 
years'  time.  The  contrast  between  the  Russian 
peasant  and  his  German  neighbour  when  you  cross 
the  frontier  is  extraordinary,  and  it  is  deplorable  to 
consider  the  latent  wealth  of  Siberia  in  conjunction 
with  the  present  condition  of  its  peasant  popula- 
tion. 

Both  on  the  Turkestan  and  on  the  Trans-Siberian 
Railway  we  met  agents  of  the  British  and  Foreign 
Bible  Society  selling  Gospels,  Bibles,  and  Testaments 
in  various  languages,  of  which  they  had  a  good  assort- 
ment in  attractive  bindings  and  extremely  cheap. 
These  agents  are  allowed  free  passes  on  all  the  lines  in 
Russia.  Ten  of  these  passes  are  granted  annually,  and 
the  colporteurs  are  able  to  carry  on  what  may  well 
be  called  a  mission  work  among  the  immigrants  and 

173 


The  Face  of  Russian   Turkesta?i      ch.  xvi 

others.  The  number  of  immigrants  into  Siberia  in 
1908  reached  the  astonishing  figure  of  760,000 
persons.  A  Russian  red  cross  nurse  told  me  that  she 
had  travelled  in  charge  of  a  train  full  of  such  immi- 
grants, and  the  description  of  the  horrors  of  the  journey 
are  only  to  be  equalled  by  Zola's  tale  of  the  pilgrims 
to  Lourdes.  To  these  immigrants  many  free  copies 
of  the  Gospels  are  given,  and  the  value  of  such  a  gift 
in  that  land  must  be  very  great.  Books  must  be 
scarce  in  the  greater  part  of  the  country,  though, 
thanks  to  the  generosity  of  a  Russian  there  is  a  village 
libraries'  organisation  in  the  province  of  Tomsk,  by 
means  of  which  fifty  villages  have  been  supplied 
with  libraries.  The  generosity  of  the  state  railways 
department  is  not  confined  to  the  gifts  of  free  passes 
for  the  colporteurs,  but  also  the  free  carriage  of  all  their 
books  from  the  moment  they  enter  Russian  territory, 
and  the  remitting  of  all  duty  upon  them.  All  the 
employes,  too,  of  the  Bible  Society  are  exempt  from 
the  Trade  and  Industrial  Tax. 

The  excellent  example  of  the  railway  companies 
has  been  followed  by  many  of  the  shipping  companies 
on  the  Black  Sea,  the  White  Sea,  and  the  Dnieper, 
Don,  and  Volga  rivers.  The  companies,  where  there 
is  a  foreign  element  present,  are  much  less  willing  to 
grant  these  facilities.  Even  the  tramway  companies 
in  many  towns  give  free  tickets  to  colporteurs. 

The  second  day  we  reached  the  little  town  of 
Aral  at  the  head  of  the  Aral  Sea,  after  passing 
through  the  most  desolate  country  :   it  could  not  have 

174 


ch.  xvi  Into   Turkestci7i 

been  more  accurately  described  than  in  the  words  of 
Browning  : 

"  I  think  I  never  saw 
Such  starved  ignoble  nature ;  nothing  throve  : 
For  flowers — as  well  expe<ft  a  cedar  grove  ! 
But  cockle,  spurge,  according  to  their  law 
Might  propagate  their  kind,  with  none  to  awe, 
You'd  think  :  a  burr  had  been  a  treasure-trove. 
No  !  penury,  inertness,  and  grimace, 
In  some  strange  sort,  were  the  land's  portion.     '  See 
Or  shut  your  eyes  ' — said  Nature  peevishly — 
'  It  nothing  skills  :  I  cannot  help  my  case  : 
The  Judgment's  fire  alone  can  cure  this  place, 
Calcine  its  clods  and  set  my  prisoners  free.'  " 

Lake  Aral,  like  the  Caspian  Sea,  is  salt :  at  present  it 
covers  more  than  26,000  square  miles,  but  it  is  always 
shrinking.  There  is  a  considerable  fishing  industry 
on  it,  and  freshwater  fish  are  found,  but  its  shores 
are  so  barren  that  they  are  practically  uninhabited. 
The  Steppes  which  bound  it  on  the  north  are  inhabited 
by  a  nomad  population  of  Kirghiz  and  Uzbegs  living 
in  felt  tents  (called  kibitkas),  whose  main  occupation 
is  breeding  cattle,  horses,  camels,  and  sheep.  In  the 
winter  time  they  go  to  the  more  sheltered  regions  of 
Syr  Daria,  the  province  through  which  the  line  next 
passes. 

We  crossed  the  Syr  Daria  River,  better  known  as 
the  classic  Jaxartes,  and  the  only  town  of  any  size 
that  lay  on  the  route  was  Turkestan  or  Hazret.  It 
still  possesses  one  superb  monument  of  the  past,  the 
mosque  of  Hazreti-Timur,  built  in  1404  by  order  of 
Tamerlane,  which   is   said   to   be   one   of  the   finest 

175 


The  Face  of  Russian    Turkestan      ch.  xvi 

monuments  of  that  epoch,  and  is  visited  by  many- 
pilgrims. 

As  we  neared  Tashkent  we  felt  a  certain  amount 
of  anxiety  lest  we  should  only  have  reached  the  goal 
to  be  ignominiously  turned  back  by  the  police,  despite 
our  special  permit  ;  but  apparently  our  appearance 
was  disarming,  and  at  Tashkent  they  did  not  even 
inquire  for  any  thing  beyond  our  passports.  At 
Samarkand  we  handed  them  over  as  usual  on  arrival 
to  the  proprietor  of  the  hotel,  and  the  next  day  he 
said  the  police  wished  to  know  if  we  had  the  proper 
authorisation  to  visit  Turkestan.  We  produced  our 
note  verbale,  which  evidently  they  were  unable  to 
read,  as  it  was  in  French  ;  they  looked  us  up  and  down, 
from  head  to  toe,  asked  if  we  had  nothing  more  to 
show,  and  on  being  assured  that  we  had  not,  and  that 
the  note  verbale  gave  full  permission  for  travel,  they 
somewhat  reluctantly  took  their  departure.  At  Kazan 
(Bokhara)  they  got  a  Russian  lady  to  look  at  our 
permit,  who  was  able  to  assure  them  it  was  quite  en 
regie,  for  they  admitted  they  could  not  read  it  them- 
selves. We  heard  that  had  we  wished  to  go  anywhere 
off  the  railway  line  we  should  not  have  been  allowed 
to  do  so. 

The    district   round    Tashkent    was    a    wonderful 

contrast  to  the  dreary  desert  through  which  we  had 

come,  and  prepared  us  in  some  measure  for  the  wealth 

of  foliage  in  which  that  town  is  embowered.     Along 

the  line  were  trees  all  decked  in  the  vivid  colouring 

of  early  spring  ;   the  air  was  filled  with  the  fragrance 

176 


ch.  xvi  Into   Turkesta7i 

of  their  blossoms,  and  the  sound  of  running  water 
and  rustling  leaves  whenever  we  halted,  made  a 
happy  change  from  the  monotonous  harshness  of 
railway  noises.  The  afforestation  work  of  the  Russian 
authorities  has  already  produced  a  marked  difference 
in  the  rainfall,  and  they  are  keeping  a  much  needed 
check  on  the  cutting  down  of  trees  for  firewood 
throughout  the  province. 


177  M 


CHAPTER   XVII 

Tashkent 

JUST  ten  days  after  leaving  Kharbin  we  got  out 
of  the  train  at  the  handsome  station  of  Tashkent, 
which  seemed  ablaze  with  light  in  comparison 
with  the  dimness  to  which  we  had  been  recently- 
accustomed.  We  inquired  for  the  porter  of  the 
Hotel  de  France  to  which  we  had  been  recommended 
by  an  acquaintance  at  Moscow,  but  there  was  none 
at  the  station.  A  friendly  official  said  that  other 
hotels  were  better,  and  their  porters  eagerly  urged  us 
to  go  with  them.  We  thought  it  best,  however,  to 
stick  to  what  we  had  been  advised,  especially  as  our 
letters  had  been  directed  to  the  Hotel  de  France ;  so  we 
got  into  a  droshky  and  drove  away  into  the  darkness. 
What  a  heavenly  drive  it  seemed  after  the  long  days 
in  the  train.  Our  horses  were  all  too  nimble  as  we 
drove  on  and  on  through  the  warm  and  scented  air, 
under  apparently  never  ending  avenues  of  tall  poplars 
and  bushy  elms.  A  crescent  moon  shone  amongst 
myriads  of  stars,  and  we  wondered  how  long  this 
mysterious  drive  would  last,  as  after  a  time  the  driver 
appeared  to  have  lost  his  bearings  and  turned  to  us 
for  instructions.      Naturally  we  were  utterly  unable 

178 


ch.  xvii  Tashkent 

to  direct  him,  but  after  half-an-hour,  by  the  aid  of 
local  advice,  we  drew  up  beside  the  open  doorway  of 
a  house  surrounded  by  trees.  There  was  not  even 
"  hotel "  written  up,  and  instead  of  a  Frenchman 
coming  at  our  summons,  a  person  appeared  who 
seemed  unable  even  to  recognise  the  name  "  Hotel 
de  France,"  though  he  gave  a  voluble  but  quite  un- 
intelligible answer  in  Russian.  However,  we  crossed 
the  murmuring  rivulet  which  characterises  most  of 
the  roads  here,  and  entered  the  house.  We  found 
that  it  certainly  was  an  hotel,  though  there  was  no 
one  who  spoke  any  language  but  Russian,  and  in  the 
letter  case  there  were  no  letters  for  us. 

We  were  shown  into  a  nice  large  bedroom,  and  then 
began  the  pantomime.  We  were  extremely  hungry, 
but  disinclined  to  try  the  fancy  dishes  which  we  feared 
would  be  served  to  us  if  we  failed  to  be  explicit  in 
our  orders.  We  had  not  yet  learnt  the  names  of  many 
things  in  Russian,  and  we  totally  disagreed  with  the 
one  universal  sentiment,  expressed  in  the  word 
"  nitchevo  =  it  doesn't  matter,"  which  met  us  at  every 
turn,  so  I  betook  myself  to  my  pencil  and  drew — or 
tried  to  draw — a  chicken  au  plat.  Not  having 
sufficiently  studied  the  works  of  art  which  adorn 
cookery  books,  I  failed  ignominiously  to  convey 
any  meaning  to  mine  host.  I  next  attempted  to 
draw  the  creature  au  naturel^  and  the  attempt  was 
crowned  with  success ;  but  alas,  mine  host  soon 
returned  with  graphic  gestures  to  acquaint  us  that 

chicken  was  not  to  be  had.      I  then  drew  chicken  in 

179 


The  Face  of  Russian    Turkestan      ch.  xvii 

embryo,  which  was  instantly  recognised  with  an  em- 
phatic nod  which  heralded  success. 

The  next  matter  to  be  dealt  with  was  bed  and 
bedding,  but  that  was  more  easily  accomplished,  and 
we  found  the  people  thoroughly  pleasant  and  obliging, 
anxious  to  get  all  we  wanted  and  make  us  comfort- 
able ;  they  brought  an  extra  bedstead,  sheets,  and 
pillows,  all  thoroughly  clean.  In  facl:  our  quarters 
were  so  comfortable  that  we  rather  regretted  that  we 
were  only  going  to  spend  twenty-four  hours  there. 

Next  morning  we  were  awakened  by  the  familiar 
sound  of  growling  camels  and  screeching  peacocks  in 
a  neighbouring  garden.  We  were  soon  abroad  and 
found  the  pleasant  impression  gained  by  our  drive  of 
the  night  before  fully  justified,  for  every  road  is 
bordered  with  trees,  and  the  poplars  are  the  most 
beautiful  and  lofty  I  have  ever  seen  ;  their  silver 
stems  stretch  up  erecl:  as  darts  into  the  clear  blue  sky. 
There  are  shady  public  gardens  where  the  ash  tree 
and  the  acacia  were  in  full  blossom,  filling  the  air  with 
their  fragrance  ;  on  the  roofs  of  the  smaller  houses 
poppies  and  grass  made  a  brave  show  of  colour  against 
the  sky.  All  the  houses  were  well  shaded  by  trees 
except  in  the  centre  of  the  town,  where  fashionable 
shops  displayed  the  latest  novelties  in  hats  and  other 
things  dear  to  the  fashionable  world  of  Tashkent. 
We  made  our  way  to  the  post-office,  where  most 
of  the  officials  were  women,  and  found  quite  a  large 
budget  of  letters.  Evidently  there  is  no  regular 
delivery,  as  they  were  all  addressed  to  the  hotel,  and 


ch.  xvii  Tashkent 

some  of  them  had  been  lying  there  at  least  a  week. 
Later  in  the  day  we  returned  to  inquire  for  a  book, 
which  from  my  letters  I  learnt  had  been  forwarded 
there,  and  after  some  searching  it  was  duly  produced, 
but  I  afterwards  found  that  difficulty  had  attended  its 
despatch  as  well  as  its  delivery  ;  the  London  post- 
office  at  first  declined  to  send  it  on  the  score  of  not 
knowing  where  Turkestan  was. 

Tashkent  was  conquered  by  the  Russians  in  1863, 
and  it  is  only  since  then  that  the  Russian  town  has 
grown  up  at  a  short  distance  from  the  old  city  ;  it 
boasts  over  50,000  inhabitants,  and  has  a  considerable 
trade.  At  this  time  of  year  the  climate  is  delicious, 
but  in  the  summer  it  is  said  to  be  intensely  hot,  and 
in  the  rainy  season  the  mud  is  so  deep  that  the  streets 
become  almost  impassable,  and  the  men  have  to  go 
about  in  what  we  should  call  wading  boots.  It  is  on 
this  account  that  the  natives  have  such  peculiar  carts, 
with  spidery  wheels  about  eight  or  ten  feet  in  diameter. 
The  driver  sits  on  a  saddle  on  the  horse,  with  a  foot 
resting  on  each  shaft.  Many  of  the  tall,  lean  beasts, 
have  handsomely  embroidered  horse  cloths  of  blue 
and  scarlet  ;  they  also  wear  broad  scarlet  or  orange 
neck  cloths,  and  beaded  trappings  hang  from  their 
manes  and  over  their  hind  quarters  ;  altogether  they 
are  most  attractive. 

We  were  delighted  with  the  beautiful  oriental 
colours  of  the  clothing  of  the  natives,  as  they  rode 
about  on  handsome  Arab  steeds,  looking  the  embodi- 
ment   of  pride    amongst    their   prosaic   conquerors. 


The  Face  of  Russian   Turkestan      ch.  xvii 

Turbaned  servants  might  be  seen  holding  the  horses 
outside  houses  while  their  masters  were  within,  or 
the  horses  might  be  attached  to  rings  in  beams  fastened 
in  the  roadway  outside  shops  and  offices  for  the 
purpose.  Ladies,  fashionably  dressed,  were  driving 
about  in  troikas,  with  three  horses  harnessed  abreast. 
The  centre  horse  has  to  trot,  and  the  side  ones  canter 
with  their  heads  turned  away,  so  that  they  look  all 
the  time  as  if  they  were  trying  to  pull  away  from 
the  horse  in  the  middle.  It  my  opinion  it  has  a 
most  unnatural  and  unpleasant  appearance  to  have  one 
horse  trotting  while  the  others  canter,  and  I  cannot 
understand  how  they  manage  to  drive  so  swiftly 
under  such  adverse  circumstances.  The  Siberian 
horses  are  capable  of  doing  twenty  versts  (about 
thirteen  miles)  an  hour,  says  Capus.  Travellers  going 
any  distance  by  carriage  continue  day  and  night 
without  stopping  longer  than  for  meals  and  to  change 
horses,  but  it  must  require  an  iron  constitution  to  do 
this.  Nearly  every  one  at  Tashkent  seemed  to  ride  or 
drive  ;  in  fact  we  learnt  that  it  was  considered  quite 
infra  dig  to  go  on  foot  anywhere  in  Turkestan. 

The  town  boasts  two  good  new  hotels  ;  a  fine 
public  library,  especially  rich  in  works  on  Central 
Asia  ;  an  observatory  ;  a  museum  ;  two  large  public 
schools  ;  an  experimental  agricultural  station  and 
school  ;  a  seminary  ;  a  bank,  and  various  public 
buildings.  There  is  also  a  park  containing  a  bicycle 
track,  where  they  have  races  ;  at  the  entrance  we  saw 
a  large  monument  commemorating  the  conquests  of 


ch.  xvii  Tashkent 

the  Russians  in  different  parts  of  Turkestan.  They 
first  invaded  it  in  1863,  and  took  this  city  and  also 
Chemkend  ;  in  1 866  they  took  Khojend  and  Kokand, 
and  completely  destroyed  the  power  of  the  latter, 
this  proving  the  beginning  of  Turkestan  as  a  Russian 
province.  In  the  next  two  years  they  pushed  their 
conquests  further  westward,  and  defeated  the  troops 
of  the  Emir  of  Bokhara  and  entered  Samarkand.  In 
1873  Khiva  was  invaded  and  navigation  rights  ob- 
tained over  the  whole  of  the  Oxus  River,  now  known 
as  the  Amu  Daria.  Russia  decided  to  leave  Bokhara 
under  the  rule  of  the  Emir,  merely  maintaining  a 
protectorate,  but  the  remainder  of  Turkestan  has 
since  that  time  been  under  Russian  rule. 

We  called  at  the  office  of  the  Wagons  Lits  Company 
for  information  about  our  journey  to  Samarkand,  and 
the  manager  obligingly  got  a  young  Russian,  attached 
to  the  newspaper  staff,  to  act  as  our  guide  for  the 
afternoon.  He  spoke  English  with  a  strong  American 
accent,  and  was  extremely  garrulous,  having  attained 
a  thoroughly  journalistic  style  of  conversation.  We 
took  a  carriage  and  drove  to  the  old  city,  of  which 
the  walls,  alas,  have  completely  disappeared.  It  is 
buried  in  the  midst  of  trees  and  gardens,  for  there  is 
a  fine  system  of  irrigation  there.  All  through  both 
the  Russian  and  also  the  native  town  we  saw  streams 
flowing  ;  the  watering  is  done  by  a  simple  process  ; 
a  man  goes  down  each  side  of  the  road  simultaneously, 
armed  with  a  long  wooden  scoop,  with  which  he 
sweeps  the  water  out  of  the  little  canals  as  far  as  the 


The   Face  of  Russia?!    Turkestan     ch.  xvii 

centre,  even  on  a  wide  road.  This  takes  place  at 
intervals  during  the  day.  Here  and  there  in  the 
native  city  is  a  good  pond  surrounded  by  trees.  The 
houses  are  low  and  made  of  sun-dried  bricks,  looking 
more  ruinous  than  the  other  cities  we  visited. 
Tashkent,  it  seems,  is  subject  to  earthquakes,  which 
probably  accounts  for  its  dishevelled  appearance,  and 
it  is  difficult  to  believe  that  the  population  in- 
habiting it  is  both  large  and  growing.  According 
to  the  latest  census  the  inhabitants  number  over 
100,000,  so  evidently  its  decadent  look  is  entirely 
misleading. 

We  first  visited  the  old  tombs  of  Sheikh  Zenedjin- 
baba  and  Zenghiata,  saints  who  flourished  some  cen- 
turies ago,  and  whose  tombs  are  visited  by  thousands 
of  pilgrims  every  year.  The  graveyard  was  pictur- 
esque ;  a  dead  tree  was  still  standing  among  the  tombs, 
which  a  stork  had  selected  to  crown  with  her  nest. 
A  little  alley  led  us  to  the  tomb,  in  which  a 
devout  worshipper  was  rocking  himself  to  and  fro, 
while  he  recited  his  prayers.  I  ventured  to  sketch 
him,  as  he  was  evidently  oblivious  (or  pretended  to 
be  so)  of  observers. 

It  was  somewhat  difficult  for  our  carriage  to  make 
its  way  through  the  narrow,  tortuous  lanes,  but  we 
were  in  no  hurry  to  go  fast  for  the  people  were  so 
pidturesque.  They  are  mostly  Sarts,  "  a  name,"  says 
Prince  Krapotkin,  "which  has  reference  more  to 
manner  of  life  than  to  anthropological  classification, 
although  a  much  stronger  admixture  of  Iranian  blood 

184 


;,i  w  /J. 

PRAYER    AT   A   SAINT'S   TOMB 


ch.  xvii  "Tashkent 

is  evident  in  the  Sarts,  who  also  speak  Persian  at 
Khojend  and  Samarkand."  They  are  noted  for  their 
honesty  and  independence.  There  are  also  Persians 
and  Uzbegs,  the  latter  speaking  a  pure  Jagatai  dialecl:, 
and  various  other  tribes  are  found  among  the  bazaars 
of  Tashkent.  These  bazaars  are  most  fascinating, 
but  as  it  was  Friday  there  were  but  few  merchants 
willing  to  do  business,  and  the  whole  place  had  a 
deserted  air.  The  bazaars  are  roofed  in  at  the  top, 
which  makes  them  dark  and  stuffy,  but  they  are  suf- 
ficiently wide  for  carriages  as  well  as  foot-passengers 
to  go  through  them.  Our  guide  bargained  for  some 
silk  scarves,  which  we  thought  rather  attractive,  but 
as  the  merchants  refused  to  come  down  to  what  he 
thought  a  reasonable  price,  we  did  not  buy  more  than 
a  couple.  The  different  trades  occupy  different  parts 
of  the  bazaar,  and  one  of  the  most  important  was  the 
grain  and  another  the  tobacco  market.  Tashkent  is 
also  noted  for  its  boots  and  harness. 

In  one  way  it  was  fortunate  that  our  visit  happened 
to  be  on  a  Friday,  for  we  saw  the  people  at  prayer. 
We  visited  several  of  the  mosques,  but  they  have 
little  artistic  merit,  and  the  oldest  one  has  been  so 
hideously  redecorated  with  metal  work  and  the 
crudest  painting,  that  its  700  years  of  existence  have 
been  entirely  obliterated,  both  within  and  without. 
The  chief  mosque  was  crowded  with  men  herded 
within  a  rather  small  sort  of  verandah,  where  they 
stood  while  service  was  conducted  in  a  loud  discordant 
series   of  shrieks.     A   crowd  of  veiled  women   and 

185 


The  Face  of  Russici7i    Turkestan      ch.  xvii 

children  pressed  against  the  bars  of  the  enclosure,  but 
Mohammedanism  has  no  place  for  women  within  her 
gates.  Once  for  all  Mohammed  made  the  position 
of  the  women  in  the  Moslem  world  unspeakably  low 
and  degraded  :  he  said,  "  Woman  was  made  from  a 
crooked  rib,  and  if  you  try  to  bend  it  straight  it  will 
break."  A  woman,  according  to  the  universal 
Mohammedan  belief,  has  no  soul.  Years  ago  I  saw 
the  Sultan  going  to  the  weekly  worship  one  Friday  at 
Constantinople,  and  it  was  part  of  the  programme  for 
his  principal  wife  to  see  him  go  there  from  a  certain 
spot  ;  that  she  should  ever  have  accompanied  him 
was  unthinkable.  Another  large  party  of  women 
and  children  we  saw  gathered  on  a  neighbouring  roof 
like  Peris  outside  Paradise.  But  we  were  not  allowed 
to  remain  long  ;  we  were  almost  thrust  out  of  the 
precincts  of  the  mosque,  for  they  have  the  greatest 
aversion,  we  were  told,  to  Russians  looking  on  at 
their  worship.  As  our  guide  was  Russian,  I  suppose 
they  imagined  us  to  be  the  same  ;  elsewhere  they 
treated  us  with  great  civility. 

The  children  amused  us  much  by  their  quaint 
costumes,  and  some  of  them  were  extremely  pretty. 
The  caps,  ornaments,  and  embroideries  they  wear  are 
charming,  and  a  bizarre  effect  is  produced  by  a  bunch 
of  feathers  stuck  upright  in  their  caps  and  attached  to 
their  shoulders  from  the  back  like  incipient  wings. 

The  houses  usually  have  verandahs  outside  them, 
where  groups  of  men  were  reclining.  They  were 
highly   picturesque,    red    being  the    predominating 

186 


ch.  xvii  Tashkent 

colour  of  their  clothes,  heightened  by  the  contrast  of 
their  white  turbans.  They  were  mostly  smoking, 
gossiping,  and  drinking,  and  for  all  these  pursuits  they 
seem  to  have  an  untiring  capacity. 

There  is  only  one  Madressah  (Mohammedan  school) 
now  left  at  Tashkent,  which  used  to  be  a  seat  of  learn- 
ing, and  it  has  few  students,  and  is  in  a  state  of  decay. 

After  dinner  we  regretfully  set  out  for  the  station 
to  pursue  our  way  to  the  still  more  attractive  city  of 
Samarkand.  The  train  was  crowded,  but  as  we  arrived 
in  good  time  we  secured  a  coupe  to  ourselves,  a 
most  important  matter  with  a  journey  of  some  four- 
teen hours  before  us.  During  the  night  we  heard  a 
crash  of  glass  in  the  adjoining  carriage  ;  evidently  it 
was  merely  accidental,  for  we  heard  nothing  further; 
but  it  accounted  for  the  rigid  scrutiny  to  which  the 
railway  carriages  are  continually  submitted  in  the 
course  of  every  journey  by  the  conductors,  who  keep 
the  compartments  always  locked  when  unoccupied. 
One  is  never  allowed  to  forget  the  hateful  system 
of  espionage,  that  has  been  brought  to  a  rare  per- 
fection throughout  the  Russian  Empire. 


187 


CHAPTER    XVIII 

The   Home  of  Tamerlane 

WE  awoke  next  morning  to  find  ourselves  in 
a  grey  desolate  wilderness,  known  as  the 
Hunger  Desert.  The  lovely  gardens  full 
of  fruit-trees  characterising  Tashkent  extend  for 
some  distance  round  the  city,  and  then  comes  a  dull 
expanse  of  desert  which,  when  seen  through  sheets 
of  rain,  is  the  acme  of  dreariness.  When  we  reached 
the  end  of  our  railway  journey  we  found,  as  usual, 
that  the  station  was  some  miles  away  from  our 
destination,  Samarkand,  and  we  drove  through  oceans 
of  mud  under  a  pelting  rain  to  the  Grand  Hotel, 
a  nice  new  house  where  the  rooms  looked  out  on  to 
a  little  garden.  To  our  relief  our  host  and  hostess 
had  a  limited  acquaintance  with  the  German  language, 
so  that  we  were  able  to  make  our  wishes  known,  the 
main  one  being  for  thorough  washing  accommo- 
dation. We  were  taken  to  see  a  fine  bath-room,  and 
arranged  to  have  the  stove  at  once  lighted,  for  it  is 
something  of  a  function  to  have  a  bath  in  Russia, 
and  cannot  be  achieved  under  a  couple  of  hours  ;  our 
host  was  evidently  very  proud  of  possessing  a  bath- 
room, and  we  spent  a  happy  afternoon  getting  rid 
of  all  traces  of  our  eleven  days  and  nights  of  travel. 


On  p.  188,  line  2  of  text,/or  known  as,  read  as  bare  as. 


1 


of 

sonic  uiocc — 

expanse  of  desert  which,  when  seen  lh^^-- 
of  rain,  is  the  acme  of  dreariness.  When  we  reached 
the  end  of  our  railway  journey  we  found,  as  usual, 
that  the  station  was  some  miles  away  from  our 
destination,  Samarkand,  and  we  drove  through  oceans 
of  mud  under  a  pelting  rain  to  the  Grand  Hotel, 
a  nice  new  house  where  the  rooms  looked  out  on  to 
a  little  garden.  To  our  relief  our  host  and  hostess 
had  a  limited  acquaintance  with  the  German  language, 
so  that  we  were  able  to  make  our  wishes  known,  the 
main  one  being  for  thorough  washing  accommo- 
dation. We  were  taken  to  see  a  fine  bath-room,  and 
arranged  to  have  the  stove  at  once  lighted,  for  it  is 
something  of  a  function  to  have  a  bath  in  Russia, 
and  cannot  be  achieved  under  a  couple  of  hours  ;  our 
host  was  evidently  very  proud  of  possessing  a  bath- 
room, and  we  spent  a  happy  afternoon  getting  rid 
of  all  traces  of  our  eleven  days  and  nights  of  travel. 


ch.  xviii      The  Home  of  Tamerlane 

Next  morning  a  radiant  sun  following  the  rain 
showed  us  Samarkand  in  its  most  attractive  guise. 
We  drove  through  shady  avenues,  past  fashionable 
shops  towards  the  real  city,  and  suddenly  there  burst 
upon  our  view  a  wonderful  dome  and  lofty  archway, 
jewelled  with  tiles  of  dazzling  blue.  It  is  the  Gur 
Amir,  the  tomb  of  Tamerlane,  the  great  Conqueror, 
the  forerunner  of  the  Mogul  Emperors.  In  the  midst 
of  a  thick  cluster  of  trees  the  tomb  rises  erect,  so  that 
only  the  cupola  is  visible  until  you  come  close  to  it. 
It  is  enclosed  by  the  care  of  the  Russian  authorities 
with  an  inconspicuous  little  wall,  finished  off  with  a 
metal  coping  along  the  top.  Formerly  the  tomb  was 
entered  (according  to  regulation)  from  the  south  side, 
but  most  of  the  outer  buildings  have  already  fallen 
to  pieces.  The  present  entrance  is  on  the  north,  and 
the  facade  is  completely  covered  with  tiles  ;  it  is  a 
marvellous  blaze  of  colour,  composed  of  various 
shades  of  blue,  varied  with  white  and  a  little  yellow, 
the  whole  effect  being  that  of  a  blue  mosaic.  The 
decorations  are  varied  ;  there  are  a  large  number  of 
inscriptions,  many  of  them  from  the  Koran,  in  Persian 
characters  of  the  fifteenth  century.  They  certainly 
add  rather  than  detract  from  the  decorative  character 
of  the  design.  Passing  through  the  entrance  gate 
one  comes  into  a  grassy  courtyard  paved  with  black 
marble,  in  which  are  ancient  mulberry  trees,  and  the 
central  building  rises  beyond  them.  The  whole  of 
this  inner  facade  is  also  tiled.  Among  the  inscrip- 
tions one  was  deciphered  by  Vambery,  which  proved 

189 


The  Face  of  Russian   Turkestan     ch.  xviii 

to  be  the  architect's  signature  :  "  This  is  the  work 
of  poor  Abdullah,  son  of  Mohammed,  native  of 
Ispahan." 

In  the  days  of  his  glory  Tamerlane  determined  to 
have  erecled  for  himself  a  mausoleum  excelling  in 
magnificence  all  the  other  buildings  at  Samarkand. 
For  this  purpose  he  selected  the  Persian  architect, 
Abdullah,  charging  him  to  build  a  tomb  worthy  to 
enshrine  his  remains.  The  two  original  towers 
which  flanked  the  cupola  are  both  gone,  one  of  them 
quite  recently,  and  the  great  western  archway  is 
falling  to  pieces,  but  the  immense  Kufic  l  characters 
(white  on  a  blue  ground)  which  form  the  frieze 
immediately  below  the  cupola  are  still  almost  perfecl. 
The  style  is  not  entirely  Persian,  but  was  probably 
modified  by  the  influence  of  the  architecture  which 
the  Persians  found  in  Samarkand.  On  each  side  of 
the  main  building  is  a  small  chapel  containing  tombs 
of  minor  importance.  Entering  the  tomb  by  a  beauti- 
fully carved  and  inlaid  door,  we  found  ourselves  in  a 
little  sanctuary,  where  the  faithful  come  to  pray, 
laying  their  foreheads  against  the  walls.  The  height 
of  the  dome  (measured  from  within)  is  about  74  feet. 
Despite  a  small  window  at  each  end  containing 
alabaster  tracery,  the  light  is  dim,  and  a  religious 
hush  seems  to  pervade  the  building.  Not  only 
Tamerlane  but  others  also  are  buried  here.  Shortly 
after   the    building  of  the  mausoleum,   his  teacher, 

1  Kufic  is  the  name  given  to  the  characters  in  which  the   Koran  was 
originally  written  ;  it  ceased  to  be  used  after  the  tenth  century. 

190 


'**"— watamaiij"  «*«« 


TAMERLANE'S    fOMB  (INTERIOR) 


ch.  xviii      The  Home  of  Tamerlane 

Said  Mir  Berke,  a  venerable  mullah  (holy  man),  died, 
so  Tamerlane  showed  his  supreme  reverence  for  him 
by  having  him  buried  in  the  Gur  Amir,  ordering 
that  his  own  body  should  be  placed  (when  he  died) 
at  the  mullah's  feet.  There  are  in  addition  several 
small  tombstones  surrounding  the  special  slab  (said  to 
be  of  green  jade)  which  marks  Tamerlane's  resting- 
place.  This  precious  monolith  was  sent  for  this 
purpose  by  a  Mongolian  princess  ten  years  after  his 
death  to  his  successor,  Nadir  Shah,  but  was  unfortu- 
nately broken  in  the  transport.  The  two  pieces  have 
been  fastened  together,  and  it  has  been  elaborately 
carved  with  Tamerlane's  name,  titles,  and  ancestry, 
interspersed  with  passages  from  the  Koran.  Copies 
of  these  are  for  sale  at  the  tomb.  Monsieur  Edouard 
Blanc,  in  an  interesting  article  in  the  '^{eviie  des  Deux 
Mondes  (Feb.  15,  1893),  says  he  examined  this  stone 
very  carefully  from  the  mineralogist's  point  of  view, 
and  has  no  hesitation  in  declaring  that  it  is  not  jade. 
Certainly  there  is  no  other  known  specimen  of  this 
stone  anything  like  the  size,  for  jade  is  only  found  in 
small  pieces  ;  but  there  are  other  stones  frequently 
mistaken  for  jade,  such  as  jadeite  (hence  its  name), 
which  is  not  nearly  so  valuable.  Tamerlane's  known 
desire  to  have  a  tomb  of  jade  is  probably  the  reason 
why  it  is  so  called.  The  jade  mines  of  Turkestan 
have  been  celebrated  in  China  for  at  least  2000  years. 
Above  the  mullah's  tomb  are  two  crossed  bamboo 
poles  bearing  the  Prophet's  green  flag,and  the  standard, 
which  consists  of  a  horse's  mane  and  a  gold  button. 

191 


The  Face  of  Russian   Turkestan     ch.  xviii 

The  tombs  are  enclosed  by  a  low  alabaster-work 
balustrade,  as  seen  on  the  left  hand  in  the  sketch. 

But  Tamerlane  was  so  afraid  lest  cupidity  should 
cause  his  tomb  to  be  rifled  that  he  ordered  his  body  to 
be  buried  in  a  crypt  below  the  other  tomb,  theexistence 
of  which  was  until  quite  recently  unknown,  except 
to  a  few  initiated  persons.  The  entrance,  which  was 
concealed  by  a  paving  stone,  is  now  open  to  the  gaze 
of  all.  We  went  down  into  it  by  a  flight  of  steep 
stone  steps  and  found  a  number  of  tombs,  one  of  which 
was  the  hero's,  made  of  specially  finely  carved  marble. 
We  were  invited  to  pay  a  small  sum  in  order  to  place 
candles  on  it,  so  I  presume  our  respectful  attitude 
had  won  us  the  reputation  of  being  good  Moslems. 
The  vaulted  roof  of  this  crypt  was  admirably  designed 
brickwork,  of  which  the  rough  sketch  opposite  may 
give  an  idea.  It  was  a  twelve-sided  figure,  and  the 
whole  of  the  interior  was  in  excellent  repair.  It 
was  dimly  lighted  by  a  torch,  which  our  guide  pro- 
duced, and  we  were  glad  to  escape  promptly  back  to 
the  upper  air,  where  I  sat  down  to  sketch.  Various 
worshippers  came  in  and  out  to  say  their  prayers,  for 
the  worship  of  saints  is  a  marked  characteristic  of 
Mohammedanism,  and  there  are  many  shrines  in 
Samarkand.  Every  one  seemed  friendly  and  devout, 
except  an  obvious  tourist  with  his  guide,  who  certainly 
disturbed  the  serenity  of  the  atmosphere. 

Another  day  I  sketched  the  outside  of  that  wonder- 
ful mausoleum,  and  day  by  day  as  we  studied  the 
monuments  which  time  has  defaced,  but  which  even 

192 


ch.  xviii      The  Home  of   Tamerlane 

in  decay  surpass  all  others  in  their  potent  effecl  upon 
the  imagination,  I  dreamed  of  the  genius  which  had 
left  such  an  imperishable  memory.  Surely  none  of 
the  other  conquerors  of  the  world  was  ever  so  strange 


a  mixture  as  the  great  Mogul,  compounded  of  am- 
bition, lust  of  power,  love  of  beauty,  relentless  cruelty, 
domestic  affection,  and  zeal  for  "  the  Faith." 

Timur  i  Leng,  the  lame  Timur,  or  Tamerlane  (to 
use  the  vulgarised  form  of  his  name),  was  born  at 
Shahr-i-Sabz,  "  the  green  city,"  about  fifty  miles  south 

of  Samarkand,  in  1336.    His  father,  Teragai,  had  been 

193  N 


The  Face  of  Russian    Turkestan      ch.  xviii 

the  first  ruler  in  the  country  converted  to  Islamism, 
and  he  brought  up  his  son  Tamerlane  in  the  studious 
retirement  which  he  himself  loved.  The  young  man 
was  well  versed  in  the  knowledge  of  the  Koran,  but 
he  was  noted  also  for  his  good  horsemanship  and  other 
manly  pursuits.  Tamerlane  soon  abandoned  his 
father's  way  of  life  and  reverted  to  the  earlier  type  of 
Genghiz  Khan  and  Kubla  Khan.  The  accounts  of 
the  Mongol  raids  sound  like  visions  of  the  lowest  hell, 
beside  which  Dante's  descriptions  are  colourless ;  these 
raids  are  inconceivable  to  the  modern  mind,  and  yet 
history  shows  that  they  were  not  the  work  of  mad- 
men, but  that  they  are  due  to  a  strain  of  ferocious 
brutality  in  the  Mongol  blood.  Where  this  happens 
to  be  combined  with  great  power  or  genius,  as  in  the 
case  of  Ivan  the  Terrible,  or  Tamerlane,  the  result  is 
appalling. 

At  the  age  of  twenty-two  Tamerlane  was  sent  at 
the  head  of  a  thousand  horse  to  invade  Khorasan,  but 
it  was  not  the  first  time  he  had  been  in  the  field,  and 
he  was  subsequently  employed  in  fighting  for  his  own 
throne  after  his  father's  death.  In  1369  he  had 
conquered  his  opponents,  and  he  mounted  the  throne 
at  Samarkand.  It  would  be  monotonous  and  vain  to 
recapitulate  the  history  of  the  incessant  wars  which 
Tamerlane  waged  during  the  next  thirty  years  in 
order  to  extend  his  dominions  in  Central  Asia,  but  it 
was  when  he  was  over  sixty  years  of  age  that  he 
undertook  the  greatest  of  his  expeditions,  the  con- 
quest of  India   (as  it  has  been  erroneously  called). 

194 


ch.  xviii      The  Home  of  Tamerlane 

He  ravaged  the  north  and  sacked  its  principal  city, 
Delhi,  returning  to  Samarkand  with  great  spoil. 
Clavigo,  the  historian,  says  that  he  brought  back 
ninety  captured  elephants  to  carry  stone  for  the  build- 
ing of  a  new  mosque  at  Samarkand.  It  was  Baber, 
his  descendant  of  the  fifth  generation,  who  founded 
the  Mongol  Empire  in  India  in  1525,  more  than  a 
century  and  a  quarter  later  than  Tamerlane. 

During  this  campaign  Tamerlane  became  embar- 
rassed by  the  number  of  his  Hindu  prisoners,  no  less 
than  100,000  at  a  single  time,  so  his  counsellors  urged 
him  to  have  them  slain.  The  historian  remarks  : 
"  He  listened  to  this  considerate  and  wise  advice,  and 
gave  orders  to  that  effect  ";  so  that  they  were  all  slain 
"  with  the  sword  of  holy  war."  In  order  to  accom- 
plish the  frightful  task  the  soldiery  was  not  sufficient, 
and  "  one  of  the  chief  ecclesiastics,  who  in  all  his  life 
had  never  even  slaughtered  a  sheep,  put  fifteen  Hindus 
to  the  sword."  (Holden's  "  Mogul  Emperors  of 
Hindustan,"  p.  27.)  On  another  occasion  he  slew 
no  less  than  70,000,  and  had  the  heads  piled  into  a 
pyramid  and  plastered  over  with  mud.  In  this  grue- 
some conception  he  was  following  the  example  of  his 
ancestor  Genghiz  Khan,  who  had  devised  the  idea  of 
having  the  thousands  of  corpses  which  were  slain  on 
various  occasions  built  into  architectural  designs. 
At  the  taking  of  Bagdad  the  number  of  slaughtered 
enemies  was  80,000. 

Tamerlane  was  in  the  habit  of  taking  his  wives 
with  him  on  his  campaigns,  as  well  as  learned  men, 

195 


The  Face  of  Russia?i    Turkestan      ch.  xviii 

and  it  is  related  that  when  in  India  he  had  the  latter 
placed  behind  the  women,  and  the  women  behind  the 
army  during  the  battles.  The  fear  of  him  was  so 
great  that  even  after  he  had  left  Delhi  prayers  were 
said  in  his  name  in  the  mosque  there  until  his  death  ; 
afterwards  in  the  name  of  his  son.  Tamerlane's 
religiosity  (for  it  can  really  be  called  by  no  other 
name)  is  shown  in  the  account  which  he  caused  to 
be  written  in  his  Memoirs  giving  his  reasons  for  the 
invasion  of  India.  "  My  principal  objecl  in  coming 
to  Hindostan  and  in  undergoing  all  this  toil  and 
hardship  was  to  accomplish  two  things.  The  first 
was  to  war  with  infidels,  the  enemies  of  the  Moham- 
medan religion  ;  and  by  this  religious  warfare  to 
acquire  some  claim  to  reward  in  the  life  to  come. 
The  other  was  a  worldly  objecl,  that  the  army  of 
Islam  might  gain  something  by  plundering  the  wealth 
of  the  infidels  ;  plunder  in  war  is  as  lawful  as  their 
mother's  milk  to  Mussulmans  who  fight  for  their 
faith,  and  the  consuming  of  that  which  is  lawful  is  a 
means  of  grace."  The  necessity  for  keeping  his 
troops  in  good  humour  can  be  readily  understood, 
but  that  the  awful  atrocities  and  unmentionable  crimes 
committed  by  them,  which  are  veiled  in  that  last 
sentence,  should  be  characterised  as  "  a  means  of 
grace,"  sounds  like  an  unholy  jest.  It  is  impossible 
to  ascertain  with  any  accuracy  the  numbers  of 
Tamerlane's  troops,  but  not  only  were  there  picked 
troops  of  some  200,000  men,  but  also  vast  numbers 

of  irregulars,  who  flocked  to  his  standard  in  the  hope 

196 


ch.  xviii      The  Home  of  Tamerlane 

of  plunder.  But  besides  Tamerlane's  hosts  of  soldiers, 
who  are  said  by  his  biographer  to  have  idolised  him, 
he  had  also  hosts  of  artificers  and  workmen,  for  he 
built  many  palaces,  mosques,  and  houses,  of  which 
only  a  comparatively  small  number  survive  the  ravages 
of  time.  Clavijo  describes  the  building  of  a  street 
full  of  shops,  which  was  to  extend  from  one  end  of 
Samarkand  to  the  other.  No  heed  was  taken  of  the 
claims  of  those  who  already  were  in  possession  ;  their 
houses  were  torn  down,  while  the  inmates  fled  with 
such  things  as  they  were  able  to  snatch  up  and  take 
with  them.  As  fast  as  the  houses  were  demolished 
others  rose  upon  the  ruins,  as  by  enchantment,  and 
at  the  end  of  twenty  days  and  nights  of  uninterrupted 
labour  the  street  was  complete,  and  Tamerlane  had  it 
occupied  forthwith  by  shopkeepers. 

The  various  trades  were  formed  into  guilds  as  in 
western  lands  apparently,  and  at  one  of  the  feasts 
given  during  the  visit  of  the  Spanish  embassy  we  are 
told  that  "  an  amphitheatre  was  covered  with  carpets, 
where  there  were  masquerades.  The  women  were 
dressed  like  goats,  others  like  sheep  and  fairies,  and 
they  ran  after  each  other.  The  skinners  and  butchers 
appeared  like  lions  and  foxes,  and  all  other  tradesmen 
contributed  specimens  of  their  skill." 

The  Conte  de  Rubruquis,  who  was  sent  by  St.  Louis 

of  France  from  the  Holy  Land  to  visit  the  Court  of 

Tamerlane,  gives  a  similar  impression  of  the  way  in 

which  building  operations  were  carried  on  by  that 

autocratic  monarch,  all  of  whose  operations  seem  to 

197 


The  Face  of  Russian    Turkestan      ch.  xviii 

have  been  executed  in  desperate  haste.  He  says  of 
the  building  of  one  of  the  great  mosques  :  "  The  archi- 
tects chose  a  happy  moment  to  begin  it,  namely,  on 
the  fourth  of  Ramadam,  801  (May  28,  1399),  which 
answers  to  the  year  of  the  Hare,  the  Moon  being  then 
in  Leo,  going  out  of  the  sextile  aspect,  of  Venus. 
The  masons,  brought  from  foreign  countries,  as  men- 
tioned before,  gave  the  greatest  proofs  of  their  art  and 
skill,  as  well  in  the  solidity  and  beauty  of  the  angles, 
as  in  the  strength  of  the  foundations  of  this  noble 
edifice.  In  the  inside  of  the  mosque  were  employed 
two  hundred  masons  from  Azerbijana,  Persia,  and 
India  ;  five  hundred  men  likewise  worked  in  the 
mountains  in  the  cutting  and  hewing  of  stones,  which 
were  sent  into  the  city.  Several  other  artisans  of 
different  trades  performed  their  parts  with  the  utmost 
application.  Ninety-five  chains  of  elephants  were 
made  use  of  in  drawing  large  stones  with  wheels 
and  machines  according  to  the  laws  of  mechanics. 
The  princes  of  the  blood  and  Emirs  were  appointed 
to  oversee  the  workmen,  that  not  one  moment  might 
be  lost  in  finishing  this  stupendous  building."  The 
event  was  celebrated  with  sumptuous  banquets,  ac- 
companied by  all  sorts  of  plays  and  diversions.  "  The 
Empress  Rokia  Canica  on  this  occasion  gave  a  noble 
entertainment,  accompanied  with  concerts  of  music 
and  fine  dancing."1  The  descriptions  of  Clavijo,  the 
Spanish  envoy, are  equally  vivid  and  interesting,  giving 

1  Hakluyt  Society's  Publications,  "  The  Voyage   of  Friar  William   de 
Rubruquis,"  p.  166. 

198 


ch.  xviii      The  Home  of  Tamerlane 

a  thoroughly  complete  picture  of  life  at  the  Court  of 
the  great  Khan.  Referring  to  the  Empress  Cano  (as 
Clavijo  calls  her),  he  says  that  after  she  had  approached 
the  Emperor,  attended  by  her  300  ladies  and  eunuchs, 
and  had  taken  her  seat,  the  second  wife  or  "little  Cano" 
came  out  and  took  up  her  position,  followed  in  turns 
by  his  seven  other  wives.  The  tents  and  pavilions 
on  such  occasions  were  of  the  utmost  magnificence, 
scarlet  cloth  embroidered  with  gold  and  silks,  white 
satin  and  different  coloured  silks,  with  silken  cords 
and  tassels.  The  tables  were  of  gold,  and  the  orna- 
ments of  gold  and  precious  stones.  Drinking  formed 
an  important  part  of  the  ceremony,  and  the  Empress 
was  greatly  displeased  when  the  monk  de  Rubruquis 
refused  to  drink  at  her  invitation  ;  he  narrates  that 
many  of  the  guests  became  quite  drunk  and  even  fell 
down  before  her,  which  added  to  the  amusement. 
There  was  also  a  popular  and  less  harmful  beverage 
of  cream  and  sugar.  The  meats  consisted  of  sheep 
and  oxen,  roasted  whole,  and  served  on  dishes  of  thick 
stamped  leather.  No  less  than  three  hundred  men 
were  requisite  to  bring  them  in,  and  camels  were  used 
to  bring  them  to  the  place.  This  part  of  the  feast 
sounds  quite  unrefined,  for  the  food  is  said  to  have 
been  placed  in  heaps  on  the  ground,  and  there  is  no 
mention  of  any  utensils. 

At  another  great  festival  to  which  the  Spanish 
envoys  were  summoned,  they  were  forced  to  pay 
elaborate  homage  to  one  of  the  Khan's  grandsons 
newly  come  from  India,  kneeling   time   after  time 

199 


The  Face  of  Russian   Turkestan      ch.  xviii 

before  him.  Doubtless  they  felt  there  was  no  choice 
as  to  obeying  any  such  order  of  Tamerlane,  for  had 
they  not  seen  plenty  of  instances  of  his  summary 
methods  of  so-called  "justice."  At  the  marriage 
festival  of  two  of  his  grandsons  Tamerlane  said  he 
"  knew  how  to  be  merciful  and  kind  to  some,  and  how 
to  be  severe  to  others,"  so  a  number  of  gallows  were 
set  up  at  the  place  of  entertainment.  When  the 
games  were  over  he  meted  out  "justice"  to  various 
people  who  had  incurred  his  displeasure,  and  they 
were  instantly  put  to  death  ;  hanging  was  the  more 
aristocratic  punishment,  and  execution  was  the  fate  of 
the  poorer  classes. 

Tamerlane's  most  pleasing  characteristic  is  the  deep 
affedtion  he  entertained  for  his  Chinese  wife  and  for 
his  sons,  whose  death  caused  him  deep  and  passionate 
grief.  There  is  a  legend  that  he  caused  his  daughters 
to  be  taught  magic  in  order  to  help  him  in  his 
'conquests,  but  that  sounds  wholly  at  variance  with 
his  character.  He  was  extremely  energetic  and  am- 
bitious, and  brooked  no  interference.  The  portraits 
of  his  personal  appearance  are  far  from  pleasing  ;  he 
was  not  only  lame,  but  also  blind  in  one  eye.  Tamer- 
lane's last  campaign  was  against  the  Turks,  and  he 
pushed  as  far  as  to  Damascus,  taking  prisoner  the 
Sultan  Bajazet.  On  his  return  he  projected  another 
distant  campaign  against  China,  but  he  fell  ill  of  ague 
and  fever,  and  died  in  Syr  Daria  in  1405.  His  body 
was  embalmed  and  carried  for  burial  to  Samarkand. 


CHAPTER   XIX 

Samarkand 

TAMERLANE'S  tomb  is  on  the  threshold  of 
Samarkand,  and  is  but  the  prelude  which 
introduces  the  travellers  to  wonder  upon 
wonder.  The  whole  of  the  first  day  we  devoted  to 
it,  so  as  to  come  with  a  prepared  mind  and  yet  quite 
fresh  to  the  wealth  of  beauty  that  lies  within  the 
city.  A  fine  avenue  of  poplars  leads  from  the  tomb 
to  the  imposing  citadel,  dipping  into  a  deep  ravine 
(where  a  wood  market  is  always  going  on)  ;  as  one 
mounts  the  hill  the  citadel  seems  to  tower  above  the 
city.  Its  one  relic  of  interest  is  the  Keuk-Tash,  a 
grey  stone,  ten  feet  long  and  four  feet  broad,  said  to 
have  been  originally  brought  from  Broussa.  This 
formed  the  seat  from  which  Tamerlane  dispensed 
judgment — one  cannot  say  "justice" — and  which  in 
later  days  was  used  by  the  Amirs  of  Bokhara  for 
the  same  purpose.  A  number  of  bazaars  line  the 
road,  giving  the  impression  of  a  busy,  flourishing 
town,  and  the  road  is  thronged  with  carriages,  men 
on  horseback,  and  carts.  What  a  fascinating  crowd  it 
was.  I  must  briefly  describe  its  chief  elements.  The 
population  is  principally  Sart,  but  there  are  Persians, 


The  Face  of  Russia?i    Turkestan      ch.  xix 

Afghans,  Kirghiz,  and  others.  Some  of  their  horses 
are  splendid  proudly-stepping  creatures,  and  it  is  a 
marvel  to  see  their  trappings,  handsomely  embroidered 
cloths  on  which  the  equally  handsomely  decorated 
antique  saddles  rest.  These  are  either  painted  or 
inlaid  wood,  and  have  a  high  peak  in  front ;  the  stirrups 
are  equally  decorative,  but  fastened  so  short  that  the 
knees  are  always  bent.  The  Sarts  invariably  ride 
unless  extremely  poor,  and  it  is  astonishing  to  see  how 
fine  some  of  them  are,  who  yet  have  to  carry  home 
their  purchases  from  the  market,  a  somewhat  incon- 
gruous effect  being  produced  by  these  gorgeous 
creatures  having  an  armful  of  vegetables.  If  too 
poor  to  ride  a  horse,  the  Sart  may  at  least  be  able  to 
afford  a  donkey.  Some  of  them  have  a  closely  veiled 
woman  riding  pillion  ;  others  will  have  their  young 
sons  riding  before  and  behind  them  on  the  same 
horse.  The  Sarts  wear  long  flowing  cotton  or  silk 
robes  of  brilliant  colours,  especially  affecling  stripes, 
and  high  leather  boots.  On  their  heads  they  wear 
little  gaily-embroidered  caps,  surrounded  by  a  turban 
of  dazzling  whiteness,  with  ends  coquettishly  hanging 
down  by  the  left  ear  on  to  the  shoulder.  A  poor 
man  may  be  only  able  to  afford  two  or  three  yards  of 
coarse  white  cotton  for  the  purpose,  but  the  rich 
man  will  have  twenty  or  thirty  yards  of  the  finest 
muslin.  Round  the  waist  the  men  wear  ornate  belts, 
into  which  are  stuck  the  knife  with  gold  or  silver 
jewelled  handle  in  its  sheath  of  leather,  and  in 
another  case  a  comb,  toothpick,  and  other  et  ceteras. 


ch.  xix  Samarkand 

Among  the  foot-passengers  are  a  certain  number  of 
women  dressed  in  long,  grey-blue  cloaks  from  head 
to  foot,  only  just  showing  the  wide  trousers  fastened 
in  at  the  ankle  ;  there  is  but  the  smallest  peephole 
through  a  horse-hair  veil  like  a  meat  sieve.  They 
are  mere  chattels,  and  are  kept  striclly  secluded.  The 
children  in  their  gay  clothes  form  a  delicious  contrast, 
and  are  as  bright  and  merry  as  birds,  full  of  mischief 
and  fun  ;  we  had  a  good  opportunity  of  watching 
them  while  sketching,  and  they  were  delightful 
neighbours  for  the  most  part,  despite  being  rather 
distracling. 

The  first  building  that  arrests  the  attention  at  the 
entrance  to  the  town  is  the  citadel,  but  it  has  been 
transformed  into  Russian  barracks,  so  that  the  exterior 
is  the  main  thing  of  interest.  It  boasts  in  modern 
times  of  having  been  the  scene  of  a  stirring  episode 
when  the  Russians  first  took  possession  in  1868.  A 
small  garrison  having  been  left  there  while  the  main 
army  went  in  pursuit  of  the  Amir  of  Bokhara,  found 
itself  surrounded  by  20,000  men,  and  for  five  days 
succeeded  in  holding  the  position  until  relieved  by 
the  timely  arrival  of  a  corps  from  Tashkent.  Then  a 
terrible  vengeance  fell  upon  the  doomed  city,  which 
was  given  over  for  three  days  to  pillage  as  in  the 
days  of  Tamerlane.  What  grim  irony  to  call  Samar- 
kand la  bien  gardee,  when  through  all  the  centuries 
it  has  been  desolated,  beginning  from  the  conquest  of 
Alexander  the  Great,  more  than  twenty-two  centuries 
ago,  down  to  the   present    time.     Under  the   Arab 

203 


The  Face  of  Russian    Turkestan      ch.  xix 

Samanids  in  the  eighth  century  it  became  a  great 
centre  of  learning,  and  was  renowned  throughout  the 
world  ;  then  Genghiz  Khan  fell  upon  it  in  1219,  and 
although  it  is  said  to  have  been  defended  by  1 10,000 
men,  he  took  the  city  and  let  loose  his  ferocious 
hordes  upon  it.  When  they  left  the  city  the  popula- 
lation  had  been  reduced  to  one-fourth  of  the  size 
it  had  been,  but  even  then  it  was  said  to  boast 
25,000  families.  In  the  days  of  Tamerlane  it  rose 
again  to  150,000,  and  at  the  present  day  the  native 
city  covers  a  great  area,  being  enclosed  within  a  low 
wall  of  nine  miles  in  extent. 

The  next  group  of  ancient  buildings  which  meets 
the  eye  is  the  great  market  square,  the  Righistan, 
three  sides  of  which  are  surrounded  by  madressahs  or 
colleges,  the  fourth  side  being  bounded  by  a  row  of 
small  native  shops.  The  four  sides  are  quite  separate 
from  one  another,  a  street  passing  along  the  north 
side  of  the  square  in  front  of  the  Tilla-Kari  Madressah. 
It  would  be  impossible  to  describe  the  magnificent 
effecl:  of  these  buildings  due  to  their  great  height, 
simplicity  of  design,  brilliancy  of  colour,  and  the 
noble  space  which  they  enclose.  The  square  is  more 
than  two  centuries  later  in  date  than  the  days  of 
Tamerlane,  but  it  is  the  harmonious  continuation 
and  completion  of  his  work.  The  eastern  building 
is  the  oldest  of  the  madressahs,  called  after  its  builder, 
Uleg  Beg  (a.d.  1420  approximately)  ;  he  was  the 
grandson  of  Timur,  a  great  patron  of  art  and  science. 
He  made  a  table  of  the  fixed  stars,  agreeing  pretty 

204 


ch.  xix  Samarkand 

closely  with  that  made  by  the  celebrated  Danish 
astronomer,  Tycho-Brahe,  more  than  a  century  later. 
It  is  the  smallest  of  the  three  madressahs,  contain- 
ing accommodation  for  only  fifty  students, but  attached 
to  it  was  the  world-renowned  observatory  and  school 
of  mathematics.  Uleg  Beg  used  the  quadrant,  the 
radius  of  which,  says  d'Herbelot,  equalled  the  height 
of  St.  Sophia.  A  description  of  one  madressah  will 
suffice  for  the  three,  as  they  are  all  built  on  the 
same  plan.  The  front  of  the  quadrilateral  building 
is  about  ioo  to  150  feet  in  height,  with  an  immense 
porch  nearly  extending  to  the  top  of  it  ;  the  porch  is 
mostly  filled  in  with  beautiful  tiles,  but  contains  a 
small  window  in  the  upper  part  and  a  wide  door 
below,  with  smaller  ones  on  either  side.  The  broad 
spaces  of  masonry  flanking  the  porch  are  subdivided 
into  three  sections,  which  are  all  differently  and 
richly  decorated  with  tiles,  in  which  blue  is  the  pre- 
dominating colour.  The  two  small  doorways  lead 
into  a  paved  court  surrounded  by  buildings,  in  the 
centre  of  each  of  which  is  a  pointed  porch  called 
"  pichtack,"  similar  to  that  of  the  facade,  but  on  a 
much  smaller  scale,  and  generally  of  finer  workman- 
ship. This  is  surrounded  by  arcades,  the  central  one 
being  a  hall  for  prayer,  decorated  with  suitable  in- 
scriptions cut  in  hard  stone  or  marble  slabs  in  the 
walls.  The  courtyard  corresponds  to  our  cloister  of 
the  West,  and  trees  cast  a  pleasant  shade  in  it  where 
the  studious  Mohammedans  spend  so  many  weary 
hours,  for  the  university  training  lasts  from  twenty 

205 


The   Face  of  Russian   Turkestan      ch.  xix 

to  twenty-seven  years.  One  of  the  students  showed 
us  his  tiny  cell  with  its  store  of  books — a  very  limited 
one.  As  we  entered  another  student  or  Mullah  stood 
praying  just  within  the  porch  at  the  top  of  his  voice, 
and  in  shrill  and  dolorous  accents  :  the  Sunnites 
adopt  this  tone  in  order  that  there  may  be  no  suspicion 
of  tune  or  melody.  The  studies  are  by  no  means 
confined  to  religion,  however,  for  they  embrace  all 
the  faculties,  and  men  are  here  trained  to  fill  every 
office  of  Church  and  State.  The  Koran  and  its  com- 
mentaries are  considered  fundamentals,  and  when  one 
reflects  that  Mohammedanism  owes  its  widespread 
success  no  less  to  the  proselytising  spirit  of  its  mer- 
chants and  soldiers  than  of  its  religious  teachers,  one 
is  forced  to  admire  the  wisdom  which  requires  that 
such  thorough  teaching  be  given  to  the  educated 
classes.  We  were  told  that  the  students  have  to 
observe  striclly  certain  rules  throughout  the  whole 
course  of  their  university  career  ;  married  men  are 
allowed  to  spend  two  nights  a  week  in  their  own 
homes,  but  the  remaining  five  must  be  spent  in  the 
madressah.  The  length  of  the  course  is  a  heavy 
strain  on  the  resources  of  a  family,  but  many  of  these 
people,  living  in  mean  surroundings  and  with  no 
outward  pomp,  are  possessors  of  considerable  wealth. 
In  Tashkent  the  Government  is  offering  free  education 
for  boys  in  the  Russian  schools,  in  order  to  attract 
the  Sarts  to  send  their  sons  to  them,  and  the  lessons 
are  given  both  in   Russian  and  in  Sart,  half  and  half. 

This  is  done  for  political  purposes,  and  with  a  view 

206 


ch.  xix  Samarkand 

to  getting  more  into  touch  with  the  native  population  : 
at  present  there  is  a  great  gulf  fixed  between  them. 

To  return  to  our  subject — the  architecture  of  the 
schools.  On  the  right  and  left  of  the  central  facade 
there  are  side  wings,  originally  covered  with  tiles, 
but  now  somewhat  injured  by  time,  and  at  their  outer 
end  rise  lofty  cylindrical  towers  of  great  height  and 
entirely  covered  with  tiles  ;  they  are  now  quite  out 
of  the  perpendicular,  and  it  is  impossible  to  do  any- 
thing to  preserve  them  from  the  effects  of  the  violent 
earthquakes  which  are  continually  destroying  the 
priceless  monuments  of  Samarkand. 

The  madressah  of  Shir  Dar  ("  the  lion  bearing  "), 
built  in  1 60 1,  faces  that  of  Uleg  Beg,  and  the  only 
difference  of  importance  between  the  two  is  that  the 
former  has  two  domes  rising  from  the  side  wings  of 
the  facade,  namely,  between  the  porch  and  the  towers. 
It  is  the  largest  of  the  three  madressahs,  and  contains 
rooms  for  one  hundred  and  twenty  students.  Its 
name  is  due  to  the  heraldic  figures  of  lions  (only 
they  are  more  like  tigers)  on  the  facade.  Most  of 
the  designs  on  all  the  architecture  at  Samarkand  are 
arabesques,  inscriptions,  or  geometrical  figures,  but 
there  are  occasionally  animals  introduced,  such  as 
lions,  griffons,  and  dragons.  As  regards  colour,  in 
the  later  architecture,  black,  green,  and  gold  are  added 
to  the  blues  and  yellow  characterising  the  earlier 
tiles,  but  there  is  comparatively  so  little  other  colouring 
than   blue,   that   it    passes    unnoticed  without    close 

inspection. 

207 


The  Face  of  Russian   Turkestan      ch.  xix 

From  the  summit  of  the  northernmost  tower 
criminals  used  to  be  hurled,  we  were  informed,  in 
the  "  good  old  days,"  into  the  square  below  called 
"  the  Gluttonous  Place "  ;  this  was  the  case  at 
Bokhara  only  last  century  :  they  were  trussed  up  like 
fowls.  Visitors  are  usually  taken  by  the  professional 
guide  up  this  madressah  to  look  over  the  city,  from 
the  platform  upon  which  the  cupolas  rest.  It  is 
perhaps  desirable  to  warn  ladies  visiting  Samarkand 
to  beware  of  this  guide,  as  he  bears  an  unsatisfactory 
character.  Our  unofficial  guide  took  us  to  the  top 
of  the  Tilla  Kari  ("  dressed  in  gold  ")  facade,  which 
is  much  loftier,  and  from  which  a  fine  view  of  the 
mountains  is  to  be  obtained.  The  ascent  was  steep, 
rough,  and  perilous,  but  well  worth  not  only  the 
effort,  but  also  the  resultant  stiffness  of  many  days. 
The  vision  that  burst  upon  our  view  as  we  emerged 
from  the  dark  staircase  was  that  of  a  city  gleaming 
among  a  wealth  of  trees,  stretching  far  across  the 
plain  to  the  distant,  snow-capped  mountains.  Far 
below  the  motley  crowd  looked  like  ants  ;  the  vivid 
colouring  of  their  robes  was  almost  indistinguishable, 
and  only  a  hushed  murmur  rose  to  our  ears  from  the 
busy  throng. 

In  the  Tilla-Kari  Madressah  (built  in  1 6 1 8)  there 
is  room  for  fifty-six  students.  It  has  an  important 
mosque,  of  which  the  inside  walls  were  not  only 
decorated  with  blue  tiles,  but  also  with  fine  marble 
slabs  handsomely  cut  and  bearing  gilded  inscriptions, 
but   the   gilding    was    somewhat   dimmed    by  time. 


208 


ch.  xix  Samarkand 

Evidently  there  was  a  large  and  costly  carpet  on  the 
floor,  for  our  feet  sank  noiselessly  into  the  soft  pile, 
but  it  was  covered  with  a  drugget,  and  we  were  only 
allowed  to  see  a  small  corner.  This  madressah  has 
no  flanking  towers,  and  a  less  ornate  facade,  which 
probably  gave  rise  to  the  idea  that  it  was  the  oldest, 
whereas  it  is  the  most  recent  of  the  three. 

Our  evident  delight  in  the  beauty  of  the  place  was 
obviously  a  source  of  no  little  gratification  to  the 
people  ;  our  only  regret  was  that  we  were  unable  to 
talk  to  them.  Few  people  know  the  Sart  language, 
or  even  know  of  its  existence,  but  in  the  mosques  and 
bazaars  Persian  as  well  as  Arabic  is  current.  The 
people  to  whom  the  glories  of  the  place  are  like  a 
twice-told  tale,  watched  our  expression  with  some 
wonder,  but  keen  appreciation  ;  when  they  had 
further  inquired  as  to  our  nationality,  it  seemed  as  if 
we  were  admitted  into  a  sort  of  friendly  intimacy. 

We  started  one  day  from  our  hotel  with  a  pleasant 
old  man  as  droshky  driver  ;  to  him  our  host  gave 
elaborate  instructions  as  to  where  we  should  go  and 
what  we  should  see  ;  but  in  the  old  city  he  picked 
up  a  picturesque  native  in  white  turban  and  wine- 
coloured  robe,  who  forthwith  constituted  himself  our 
guide.  Our  inability  to  talk  or  even  to  understand 
his  language  was  a  slight  bar  to  our  enjoyment,  yet 
in  the  course  of  the  morning  we  gathered  a  certain 
amount  of  information  about  the  city,  and  felt  that 
we  had  missed  seeing  nothing  of  real  importance. 

One  of  the  finest  ruins  is  the  madressah   of  Bibi 

209  o 


The  Face  of  Russian   Turkestan     ch.  xix 

Khanum,  the  daughter  of  the  Chinese  Emperor,  and 
favourite  wife  of  Tamerlane.  She  is  said  to  have 
built  this  not  only  as  a  school,  but  also  as  a  mausoleum 
for  her  remains  ;  its  greatness  and  beauty,  however, 
were  such  that  she  offered  it  instead  to  her  lord  and 
master  (no  doubt  a  wise  policy  on  her  part),  and  built 
instead  for  her  tomb  what  is  known  as  the  little  Bibi 
Khanum,  an  unimposing  structure  overlooking  the 
grain  market. 

The  Spanish  historian,  Clavijo,  gives  a  vivid  piclure 
of  the  lady  taking  part  at  a  great  feast  in  honour  of 
the  wedding  of  Tamerlane's  grandsons.  He  says  : 
"  When  the  people  were  all  arranged  in  order  round 
the  wall  which  encircled  the  pavilion,  Cano,  the  chief 
wife  of  this  lord,  came  forth  to  be  present  at  the  feast. 
She  had  on  a  robe  of  red  silk,  trimmed  with  gold 
lace,  long  and  flowing.  It  had  no  waist,  and  fifteen 
ladies  held  up  the  skirt  of  it  to  enable  her  to  walk. 
She  wore  a  crested  head-dress  of  red  cloth,  very  high, 
covered  with  large  pearls,  rubies,  emeralds,  and  other 
precious  stones,  and  embroidered  with  gold  lace.  On 
the  top  of  all  there  was  a  little  castle,  on  which  were 
three  large  and  brilliant  rubies,  surmounted  by  a  tall 
plume  of  feathers.  .  .  .  Her  hair,  which  was  very 
black,  hung  down  over  her  shoulders,  and  they  value 
black  hair  much  more  than  any  other  colour.  She 
was  accompanied  by  300  ladies,  of  whom  three  held 
her  head-dress  when  she  sat  down,  lest  it  should  tilt 
over.  She  had  so  much  white  lead  on  her  face 
that  it  looked  like  paper,  and  this  is  put  on  to  protecf 


210 


ch.  xix  Samarkand 

it  from  the  sun,  for  when  they  travel  (evidently  Clavijo 
suffered  in  the  same  way  as  modern  travellers  when 
seeking  information)  in  winter  or  in  summer  all  great 
ladies  put  this  on."  The  palace  one  may  very  well 
believe,  from  what  we  can  see  of  its  remains,  was  a 
fitting  background  to  such  a  gorgeous  company.  Its 
vast  height  and  the  brilliancy  of  the  tiles  make  it  one 
of  the  most  impressive  sights  in  Samarkand.  The 
magnificent  cupola  is  sadly  broken,  but  the  remains 
show  that  it  is  different  from  other  cupolas  in  Samar- 
kand, which  were  fluted  and  ovoid  in  shape,  with  blue 
tiles  decorating  them  in  fine  contrast  to  the  pearly 
whiteness  of  the  remainder  of  the  structure.  The 
Bibi  Khanum  cupola  is  dome-shaped  and  entirely 
covered  with  the  turquoise  blue  tiles  so  characteristic 
of  Chinese  architecture  (in  Shansi  especially),  and  one 
likes  to  fancy  it  as  a  reminiscence  of  the  princess's 
native  land.  It  is  the  most  glorious  note  of  colour, 
and  at  a  distance,  where  the  other  tiles  lose  all  their 
effect,  it  glows  with  undimmed  beauty.  It  added  value 
and  charm  to  the  various  shades  of  blue  in  the  great 
archway  below  it.  In  my  sketch  of  the  city  I  have 
tried  to  give  this  effect.  The  walls  of  the  palace  are 
sadly  ruined,  and  it  is  to  be  feared  that  soon  little  will 
remain  ;  the  majestic  archways  can  still  be  traced,  and 
some  fluted  twisted  columns  of  vivid  blue  are  almost 
perfect,  terminating  below  in  an  elegant  design  some 
feet  above  the  ground.  Hard  by,  but  outside  the 
precincts  of  the  palace,  another  lofty  tower  stands 
erect,  entirely  covered  with  blue  arabesques.     Surely 


The  Face  of  Russian    Turkestan      ch.  xix 

such  a  wealth  of  beauty  can  be  found  nowhere  else 
in  the  world. 

In  the  centre  of  the  main  courtyard,  under  the 
shade  of  the  trees,  is  a  great  marble  lectern,  richly 
carved,  on  which  the  gigantic  Koran  of  Othman  was 
placed,  which,  it  was  alleged,  the  Chinese  princess 
used  to  read  from  a  neighbouring  window.  It  is 
certainly  difficult  to  see  how  it  could  be  read  other- 
wise than  from  some  elevation,  except  by  a  giant. 
The  natives  believe  in  its  miraculous  efficacy  in  cases 
of  spinal  diseases,  if  the  patient  can  bend  sufficiently 
to  creep  underneath  it. 

There  is  still  one  oclagonal  tower  covered  with 
tiles  which  is  fairly  complete,  and  also  a  portion  of 
one  of  the  immense  round  towers  similar  to  those  in 
the  Rigistan.  In  the  interesting  volume  of  Messrs. 
Durrieux  and  Fauvelle,  called  Samarkande  la  bien 
gardee,  there  is  a  true  and  suggestive  comparison  of 
these  buildings,  the  Rigistan  still  comparatively  com- 
plete and  perfect,  but  degraded  from  its  former  great- 
ness by  its  present  inhabitants,  the  Bibi  Khanum  an 
absolute  ruin,  but  glorious  with  the  imperishable 
beauty  of  the  past.  The  Chinese  lady  founded  the 
largest  of  any  of  the  schools  of  Samarkand. 

As  I  was  trying  somewhat  hurriedly  to  sketch  a 
few  architectural  details,  the  whole  being  far  too 
vast  to  attempt,  except  from  a  considerable  distance, 
a  lamentable  whining  arose  almost  at  my  feet,  and 
a  litter  of  puppies  crawled  out  from  some  brushwood. 
Our  guide  began  looking  about,  and  soon  discovered 


ch.  xix  Samarkand 

an  empty  old  tin,  which  he  got  a  lad  to  fill  with 

water.      He  next  hailed   a   man   in  the   bazaar  and 

bought    bread  ;  when    he   had    crumbled   it    up   the 

puppies  fell  upon  it  like  starvelings.     The  buying  of 

the  bread  brought  to  light  the  fadt  that  a  different 

coinage  is  current  here  from  that  used  in  the  Russian 

city,  and  explained  why  our  tips  were  looked  on  with 

evident  suspicion. 

From  the  palace  we   went   to  the  grain    market 

close  by,  and  found  a  scene,  the  picluresqueness  of 

which    beggars    description.     Indeed  an   apology   is 

due  to  the  reader  for  the  number  of  adjectives  and 

superlatives  used  in  this  chapter  (I  believe  these  are 

quite  antiquated  grammatical  terms,  but  I  am  ignorant 

of  the  new  names  which  are  later  than  my  day)  ;  the 

fa6t  is  that  this  is  the  most  wonderful  city  I  have 

yet  come  across  in  my  wanderings,  and  no  words  seem 

adequate,  so  I  trust  to  be  forgiven.      Here  one  could 

escape  from  European  anachronisms,  and  the  place 

was  filled  with  a  gay,  bustling  throng  of  men  and 

beasts.     The  water-carrier  was  busy  quenching  man's 

thirst  from  an  unappetising-looking  skin  slung  over 

his   shoulder,  which  still  retained  the  shape  of  the 

animal   to   whom   it   originally   belonged.     Another 

man  provides  the  smoker  with  a  whiff  of  tobacco 

from  a  general  pipe.     We  pushed  our  way  gently 

through  the  throng,  treated  with  utmost  courtesy  by 

young  and  old.     We  climbed  up  to  Bibi  Khanum's 

tomb,  an  excellent  point  of  vantage  from  which  to 

look  down  on  the  busy  scene.     Immediately  below 

213 


The  Face  of  Russian    Turkestan      ch.  xix 

us  was  the  grain  market,  to  the  right  a  busy  traffic 
in  green  grass  used  for  fodder  ;  beyond  that  was  a 
space  specially  devoted  to  camels,  where  the  beasts 
knelt  in  long  rows,  tranquilly  surveying  the  scene. 
Further  away  was  a  large  enclosure  full  of  horses,  and 
another  space  devoted  to  the  sale  of  fuel.  All  round 
the  market  were  low  buildings,  or  booths,  for  all  sorts 
of  things,  and  a  row  of  busy  blacksmiths  and  harness 
makers.  Blocks  of  rock-salt  from  Hissar,  sweetmeats, 
tobacco,  and  green  snuff  found  plenty  of  purchasers, 
while  itinerant  vendors  plied  a  busy  trade  in  all 
directions.  Every  day  that  we  were  there  seemed 
equally  busy,  and  in  the  bazaars  they  sell  not  only 
native  goods,  but  large  quantities  of  Russian  silks, 
especially  those  made  in  Moscow.  Cotton  goods 
from  Manchester  were  not  lacking,  and  it  is  to  be 
feared  that  competition  is  killing  to  a  large  extent  the 
native  industries.  They  no  longer  make  the  wonder- 
ful carpets  of  ancient  times,  and  we  were  warned 
that  it  is  risky  to  buy  old  ones  on  account  of  infection. 
Some  of  the  silks  are  attractive,  but  majenta  is  a 
favourite  colour,  and  the  curious  designs  would  not 
look  well  transplanted  from  their  local  setting. 

Leaving  the  market  we  passed  through  a  little 
valley  on  the  eastern  side,  and  to  our  surprise  a  pic- 
turesque native  suddenly  stepped  into  the  carriage 
and  sat  down  opposite  to  us.  Our  self-constituted 
guide  was  seated  on  the  box,  so  he  turned  round  to 
explain  that  it  was  quite  right,  for  we  should  require 
the  man's  services  directly.    In  point  of  fact  we  stopped 

214 


HAZRKTI    SHAH    ZINDEH 


ch.  xix  Samarkand 

in  less  than  two  minutes  in  front  of  a  gateway,  the 
entrance  to  which  was  blocked  by  a  pole  placed 
across  it.  We  passed  through  a  side  gate  on  foot 
into  a  shady  park,  where  numbers  of  people  were 
seated  in  parties  under  the  trees,  and  sweetmeat  sellers 
were  plying  a  brisk  trade.  There  are  many  different 
trees  at  Samarkand,  but  the  chief  of  them  are  the  white 
poplars  and  the  black  Turkestan  elms  ;  the  latter  are 
the  national  sacred  tree — the  karagatch.  The  people 
are  great  gardeners,  and  the  water-supply  is  excellent ; 
indeed  it  is  being  drawn  increasingly  from  the  river 
which  supplies  Bokhara,  to  the  detriment  of  that  city. 
As  we  strolled  along  the  shady  paths  veiled  women 
eyed  us  furtively.  A  few  minutes'  walk  brought  us 
to  a  short  flight  of  steps  leading  down  to  a  fine  blue- 
tiled  gateway.  As  we  entered  it  a  vista  of  great 
beauty,  a  masterpiece  of  art,  was  revealed,  which  had 
previously  been  completely  hidden  from  view.  Forty 
gleaming  marble  steps  lead  upward  to  a  fine  gateway, 
surmounted  by  domes.  A  flowering  shrub  hung 
over  the  wall  on  the  right,  and  a  cluster  of  scarlet 
poppies  had  forced  their  way  between  the  slabs  of 
marble.  In  the  porch  sat  a  typical  group  of  natives, 
and  our  guide  presented  us  with  some  ceremony  to 
the  Mullah,  who  was  apparently  in  charge  of  the 
buildings — the  Hazreti  Shah  Zindeh,  or  summer 
palace  of  Tamerlane.  The  palace  is  called  after  a 
saint,  Shah  Zindeh,  whose  tomb  is  one  of  the  buildings  ; 
in  fact  it  would  never  occur  to  any  one  that  this  was 
a  palace,  but  rather  a  collection  of  shrines  and  tombs. 

215 


The  Face  of  Russian    Turkestan      ch.  xix 

The  saint  is  expected  to  rise  again  some  day.  On 
reaching  the  top  of  the  steps  we  came  into  a  little 
flagged  lane,  with  the  most  brilliant  archway  standing 
up  against  the  sky  (the  one  in  the  sketch),  such  a 
blaze  of  scintillating  colour  that  the  blue  heaven 
looked  dull  and  opaque  in  comparison.  Here  the 
tiles  are  finer  than  any  of  the  others  ;  they  are  modelled 
in  relief  and  in  open  work,  unlike  any  that  we  saw 
elsewhere.  The  designs  were  of  an  infinite  variety, 
and  it  seemed  a  grievous  pity  that  the  little  hall 
within  was  dirty  and  befouled  by  birds  nesting  there  ; 
all  the  walls  within,  as  well  as  without,  were  covered 
with  various  kindsiof  tiles.  Opposite  this  was  another 
hall,  quite  different  in  its  decoration.  A  little  further 
down  the  winding  lane  were  another  pair  of  halls, 
also  surmounted  by  domes,  and  with  yet  other  designs 
on  the  walls  ;  there  are  altogether  seven  of  them, 
the  remaining  three  being  grouped  together  at  the 
extreme  end  of  the  lane,  and  forming  the  termination 
of  it.  The  innermost  shrine  is  a  little  mosque,  con- 
sisting of  two  rooms,  a  sort  of  holy  of  holies.  On 
the  wall  I  noticed  a  rough  colour  print  of  the  Kaaba, 
and  named  it  to  our  guide.  He  was  greatly  interested, 
and  asked  if  I  had  ever  been  to  Mecca,  and  I  fancy 
reckoned  me  at  once  one  of  the  faithful. 

We  were  shown  the  great  Koran,  a  gigantic  volume 
to  suit  the  size  of  the  lectern  in  Bibi  Khanum's 
madressah.  The  famous  original  was  carried  to  St. 
Petersburg  after  the  taking  of  Samarkand  by  the 
Russians,  but  this  is  said  to  be  a  fine  sixteenth-century 


216 


ch.  xix  Samarkand 

copy  of  it.  There  were  relics  of  the  saint  pointed 
out  to  us  behind  a  screen,  but  we  could  not  make  out 
what  they  were,  and  we  were  shown  the  beautiful 
carpet,  a  fine  specimen  of  those  made  in  Turkestan. 
Banners  of  red,  blue,  and  green  hang  over  these 
treasures,  and  under  them  the  guardian  of  the  shrine 
sat  down,  intimating  that  he  was  now  prepared  to 
receive  a  gift.  To  judge  by  his  attitude  he  thought 
it  would  be  a  lordly  one,  but  there  is  always  a  strange 
discrepancy  in  the  East  between  the  magnitude  of 
the  gift  and  the  air  with  which  it  is  received.  In 
various  nooks  and  corners  people  lay  curled  up  asleep, 
or  were  drowsily  repeating  their  prayers.  While  I 
sketched  our  two  guides  were  evidently  discussing 
our  merits,  and  at  last  one  inquired  if  we  were  Russians, 
and  on  hearing  that  we  were  not  they  wanted  to 
know  whether  we  liked  the  Russians,  making  it 
abundantly  plain  that  they  did  not.  Nevertheless  they 
acquiesce  without  much  apparent  feeling  to  the  yoke 
of  the  foreigner,  no  doubt  accepting  it  as  "  Fate." 

One  of  the  interesting  points  to  visit  outside  Samar- 
kand is  the  tomb  of  the  prophet  Daniel,  whom  the 
people  insist  on  considering  to  be  the  hero  of  Scrip- 
ture history.  We  drove  to  it  through  the  town, 
passing  out  of  the  market  up  a  steep  dusty  road.  A 
mosque  dominates  the  city  from  the  brow  of  the  hill, 
and  around  it  is  a  large  cemetery  of  dreary,  neglecled 
graves.  It  was  from  this  point  that  I  sketched  the 
city,  and  while  doing  so  was  somewhat  startled  by 

finding  a  large  tortoise  at  my  side,  which  had  crawled 

217 


The  Face  of  Russian   Turkestan     ch.  xix 

out  of  the  grass.  The  road  is  primitive,  but  no  one 
experts  anything  else,  and  constant  carriage  exercise 
no  doubt  is  good  for  the  inhabitants  in  lieu  of  any- 
other  kind.  The  way  leads  through  sandy,  hillocky 
ground  (suggestive  of  dunes  by  the  seashore)  for 
about  a  couple  of  miles,  and  then  the  road  abruptly 
ends.  We  got  out  of  the  carriage  and  the  driver  led 
us  on  foot  down  a  ravine  to  the  tomb.  It  is  the 
longest  tomb  one  would  suppose  that  could  be  found 
anywhere,  being  about  25  yards  in  length  (Edouard 
Blanc  says),  and  is  finely  situated  on  a  rock  terrace, 
with  crags  rising  above  it  and  plenty  of  trees  below 
it  down  to  the  edge  of  a  river.  The  legend  which 
accounts  for  the  extraordinary  length  of  the  tomb  is 
that,  owing  to  some  miraculous  quality,  it  grows  a 
few  inches  every  year,  and  that  by  the  time  it  has 
stretched  round  the  earth  Islamism  will  dominate  the 
whole  world.1  However,  the  Russian  governor 
decided  the  miracle  should  cease,  and  ordered  a 
building  to  be  placed  over  it,  an  inconspicuous 
erection  with  five  little  cupolas  along  the  top  and 
surmounted  by  the  usual  standard,  tuft  of  hair 
and  rams'  horns  ;  this  last  is  the  usual  offering  made 
by  Sarts  at  a  saint's  shrine,  and  which  we  saw  again 
on  the  tombs  outside  Bokhara. 

Strolling  down  the  steep  hill-side  into  a  grove  of 
trees  below,  we  came  to  a  busy  scene.  The  trees  rise 
out  of  a  large  terrace,  where  handsome  carpets  were 
spread  on  the  ground,  on  which  were  seated  parties 

1  Samarkande  la  bien  gardee,  by  Durrieux  and  Fauvelle,  p.  183. 

218 


ch.  xix  Samarkand 

of  devotees  engaged  in  conversation  or  in  prayer, 
while  their  horses  were  tethered  hard  by  in  the  shade. 
Close  at  hand  servants  were  busily  preparing  food  at 
various  fires  under  a  shed,  and  it  looked  as  if  it  were 
some  picnic  instead  of  a  religious  exercise.  Evidently 
the  worshippers  were  going  to  make  a  day  of  it,  and 
they  looked  highly  picturesque  with  their  many- 
coloured  robes  and  white  turbans. 

The  valley  was  a  charming  one,  full  of  lofty  poplars 
and  elms.  A  mill  was  built  over  the  river  lower  down, 
and  there  were  many  houses  nestling  among  the  trees. 
The  yellow  soil,  called  toprach,  is  extremely  fertile 
when  sufficiently  watered,  and  the  Sarts  have  a  saying, 
"  Plant  a  stick  in  the  toprach,  give  it  a  trickle  of 
water,  and  next  year  you  will  have  a  tree." 

There  are  other  excursions  worth  making  in  the 
neighbourhood,  and  we  greatly  regretted  that  lack  of 
time  prevented  our  doing  them.  One  in  particular 
we  thought  would  have  been  attractive,  namely,  a  ride 
to  the  snow-covered  mountains,  whence  there  is  a 
fine  view  over  the  plain  to  the  city.  There  are  ruins 
called  Aphrosiab  all  round  the  city,  and  interesting 
coins  of  the  Graeco-Bactrian  period  have  been  found 
there.  Till  within  the  last  few  years  the  madressah 
of  Timur  Malik,  ten  kilometres  distant,  was  still 
standing,  but  it  has  been  laid  in  ruins  by  an  earth- 
quake. There  are  other  mosques  in  the  city  worth 
visiting,  especially  that  of  Zemreh  Khodja,  the 
mausoleum  of  Khodja  ben  Khaddra,  and  the  mad- 
ressahs  of  Ishrak  Khaneh  and  Khodja  Akhrar. 

219 


CHAPTER    XX 

Bokhara 

THEjourney  from  Samarkand  to  Bokhara  only 
takes  about  six  and  a  half  hours  by  rail,across  a 
dull  monotonous  plain  as  far  as  Kazan  (pro- 
nounced Kaghan),  thence  on  alittle  branch  line  through 
green  fields  for  the  last  half-hour.  We  stopped  at 
the  Russian  settlement  of  Kazan,  an  absolutely  un- 
interesting place.  We  were  informed  that  the  Hotel 
d'Europe  was  comfortable,  and  we  drove  to  it  from 
the  station,  only  to  find  every  room  engaged.  The 
German  proprietress  told  us  they  were  always  busy, 
but  recommended  us  to  the  only  other  hotel,  the 
Commercial.  Here  we  found  a  thoroughly  clean 
room,  and  the  pleasantest  of  Russian  hostesses.  As 
usual,  we  were  expected  to  have  brought  our  bed 
clothes,butnot having  done  so  the  hostess  fetched  some 
out  of  her  private  store,  and  she  was  quite  gratified 
by  our  admiration  of  her  handiwork  on  the  sheets  : 
"Made  when  I  was  unmarried,"  she  said,  with  a  weary 
smile. 

Next  morning  we  intended  taking  an  early  train 
on  the  little  branch  line  to  Bokhara,  but  the  heat 
was  oppressive,  so  we  delayed  till  the  afternoon  when 


ch.  xx  Bokhara 

the  air  was  somewhat  cooled  by  thunder  rain. 
Bokhara  is  said  to  be  intolerably  hot,  quite  different 
from  Kazan,  though  only  eight  miles  distant.  The 
fields  of  grain  looked  green  and  fresh,  and  already  the 
crops  were  beginning  to  be  cut,  the  deep  blue  of  the 
cornflowers  glinting  among  them.  The  train  runs 
between  Kazan  and  Bokhara  half-a-dozen  times  per 
day. 

On  our  arrival  there  we  saw  the  truth  of  what  we 
had  been  told,  that  Bokhara  was  not  a  place  where 
Europeans  could  stay,  for  there  are  only  small 
caravanserais  and  no  hotel,  but  there  are  some  Russian 
buildings  outside  the  city  walls,  including  a  fine 
bank.  The  old  walls  enclose  a  large  city,  but  as  we 
made  our  way  through  its  narrow  streets  we  were 
struck  with  the  absence  of  population,  such  a  striking 
contrast  from  Samarkand.  At  the  gate  were  Sart 
guards  and  a  row  of  fixed  bayonets  hung  on  the  wall 
of  the  guard  house.  Here  we  were  no  longer  in 
Russian  territory,  for  the  province  of  Bokhara,  100,000 
square  miles  in  extent,  cuts  like  a  wedge  through 
Turkestan,  and  is  a  vassal  state  of  the  Russian  Empire. 
It  only  boasts  two  cities  of  importance,  Bokhara 
and  Khiva,  and  is  ruled  by  the  Amir.  The  Govern- 
ment is  a  hereditary  despotism,  with  absolute  power 
of  life  and  death.  Russia,  however,  keeps  a  jealous 
eye  upon  its  affairs,  and  when  two  native  missionaries 
(under  the  auspices  of  the  Swedish  Mission)  had  been 
working  there  some  time  ago,  the  Russian  authori- 
ties insisted  upon  their  being  sent  out  of  the  country. 


The  Face  of  Russian   Turkestan      ch.  xx 

Since  then  no  mission  work  is  allowed  to  exist,  for  it 
is  hardly  possible  to  call  by  such  a  name  what  is 
being  done  by  the  Orthodox  Church,  its  work  aiming 
rather  at  political  than  spiritual  results  ;  at  least  so 
we  were  told  by  a  Russian  lady.  It  has  no  definite 
mission  as  in  Siberia  for  the  Mohammedans.  I  met 
this  lady  in  the  street,  and  she  stopped  me  to  inquire 
if  I  happened  to  be  Miss  C.  ;  she  had  been  asked  to 
look  out  for  her,  the  only  address  furnished  being 
"  Central  Asia."  She  proved  to  be  a  Red  Cross 
nurse,  travelling  in  Central  Asia  with  the  objecl:  of 
doing  work  for  the  Bible  Society,  and  ascertaining 
what  opening  there  was  for  mission  work.  Her 
nationality  and  right  of  entrance  into  all  Government 
hospitals  gave  her  special  facility  for  doing  this,  and 
she  found  the  people  quite  friendly  and  inclined  to 
talk  on  religious  topics,  but  the  officials  stood  in  the 
way.  The  Russian  Consul  told  her  frankly  he  didn't 
like  missionaries,  but  he  admitted  that  he  knew  none 
and  could  give  no  grounds  for  his  objection. 

Bokhara  "  the  Noble  "  has  always  been  the  centre 
of  religious  influence  since  Islam  first  conquered  it 
about  a.d.  709  (Arabian  invasion),  and  to-day  it 
boasts  a  rigid  adherence  to  the  letter  of  the  Koran, 
surpassing  that  of  any  other  place.  Before  the 
Arabian  invasion  Central  Asia  was  Christian.  The 
Nestorian  Church  had  established  episcopal  sees  in 
Merv  and  Samarkand  as  early  as  the  fifth  century,  and 
the  whole  country  had  practically  adopted  Christi- 
anity.    After  it  had  become  Moslem  the  Mongols 


ch.  xx  Bokhara 

swept  down  upon  it  in  the  thirteenth  century.  "  In 
Bokhara,  so  famed  for  its  men  of  piety  and  learning, 
the  Mongols  stabled  their  horses  in  the  sacred  pre- 
cincts of  the  mosques,  and  tore  up  the  Korans  to 
serve  as  litter  ;  those  of  the  inhabitants  who  were 
not  butchered  were  carried  away  into  captivity,  and 
their  city  reduced  to  ashes.  Such,  too,  was  the  fate  of 
Samarkand,  Balkh,  and  many  another  city  of  Central 
Asia."  x  The  Moslem  faith,  however,  survived  the 
storm.  When  the  Arabian  Mohammedan  leadership 
had  becomeweakened  about  the  middle  of  the  eleventh 
century  it  passed  into  the  hands  of  the  Turanians,  and 
they  now  showed  their  power  by  winning  their  con- 
querors over  to  Islamism  in  a  singularly  short  space 
of  time. 

As  one  strolls  through  the  streets  of  Bokhara  to- 
day, one  sees  and  hears  nothing  but  Mohammedanism. 
The  civil  administration  is  entirely  in  the  hands  of 
the  religious  orders,  and  the  madressahs,  with  the 
exception  of  El  Azhar  at  Cairo,  are  the  most  import- 
ant in  the  world.  There  are  said  to  be  365 
madressahs,  but  in  reality  there  is  not  a  third  of  that 
number.  The  dates  of  some  of  these  are  1372 
(Abdullah's),  1426,  1529,  1582;  and  the  Empress 
Catherine  of  Russia  founded  one  in  the  eighteenth 
century.  Vambery  says  that  nowhere  in  the  East 
had  he  found  the  Moslems  so  punctilious  about  the 
externals  of  religion,  even  to  repeating  their  prayers 
stark-naked  for  fear  their  clothes  should  have  been 

1  Arnold's  "  Preaching  of  Islam,"  p.  185. 
223 


The  Face  of  Russian    Turkesta?i      ch.  xx 

defiled  in  any  way  without  their  being  aware  of  it. 
Their  ruling  principle  is  "  man  must  make  a  figure  ; 
no  one  cares  for  what  he  thinks!"  We  saw  the 
shockingly  dirty  tanks  where  so  much  religious 
washing  goes  on,  and  they  were  revolting  beyond 
words.  The  text  of  Islam  says  that  where  there  are 
more  than  120  pints  of  water  it  is  "blind,"  that  is 
to  say  the  dirt  gets  lost  in  it.  Consequently  you  see 
people  washing  out  their  ears,  noses,  and  mouths  in 
the  filthiest  tanks  adjoining  mosques  before  reciting 
their  prayers,  which  they  do  at  least  five  times  a  day. 
The  consequence  of  this  is  that  the  inhabitants  con- 
stantly suffer  from  tapeworn,  which  the  French  call 
by  the  more  pleasing  name  "  solitare." 

A  large  part  of  the  population  of  Bokhara  belongs 
to  the  religious  orders,  and  are  known  as  Ishans, 
Mullahs,  and  Reis.  They  belong  to  the  Sunnite 
faction,  and  have  an  utter  abhorrence  of  Persian 
Moslems,  who  do  not  belong  to  that  seel:  ;  they 
maintain  the  same  standard  of  religious  asceticism  as 
that  of  the  Middle  Ages,  and  are  prepared  to  fight 
just  as  in  those  days.  It  is  hard  to  realise  that  they 
are  utterly  untouched  by  modernism,  and  the  barbar- 
ism of  Bokhara  is  unspeakable.  Needless  to  say,  we 
did  not  visit  the  prison — descriptions  of  it  can  be 
read  in  every  book  dealing  with  the  place,  but  it  does 
not  bear  thinking  of  when  we  remember  that  English- 
men were  literally  rotting  away  there,  "  masses  of 
their   flesh  having  been  gnawn    off  their  bones   by 

vermin  in    1843"  (Wolff).     The  citadel  has  no  less 

224 


ch.  xx  Bokhara 

hideous  tales  to  tell  :  indeed  Bokhara  is  one  of  the 
most  degraded  places  on  the  face  of  the  earth  accord- 
ing to  all  accounts. 

"  Thou  wilt  to  Bokhara  ?     O  fool  for  thy  pains, 
Thither  thou  goest  to  be  put  into  chains." 

Mesnevi. 

Vambery's  description  of  what  he  saw  only  half  a 
century  ago  leaves  no  room  for  doubt  on  this  subject. 
He  heard  the  robes  which  were  to  be  awarded  to 
successful  soldiers  described  as  "  four-head,"  "  ten- 
head,"  or  "  twenty-head "  robes,  and  seeing  no 
such  design  on  them  inquired  the  meaning  of  the 
term.  For  all  answer  he  was  taken  to  see  the  arrival 
of  the  conquerors  ;  they  had  women  captives  tied  to 
their  saddle  bows  as  well  as  great  sacks.  These  were 
filled  with  human  heads,  and  each  man  in  turn  had 
these  hideous  trophies  counted,  and  the  number  placed 
upon  the  official  list  to  be  the  measure  of  the  reward 
he  should  receive.  The  lot  of  the  slaves  is  a  terrible 
one,  and  slavery  still  exists,  being  a  thing  wholly 
approved  and  sanctioned  by  the  Koran.  The  law  of 
Harem  is  observed  with  the  utmost  stringency,  and 
women  of  the  upper  class  are  kept  closely  secluded. 
If  a  girl  is  allowed  to  go  out  at  all,  she  must  not  only 
be  veiled,  but  must  put  on  the  appearance  of  age  and 
decrepitude,  walking  with  a  stick  on  tottering  foot- 
steps. Although  not  compelled  to  do  so  as  in  the 
case  of  women,  the  men  also  cultivate  assiduously 
the  art  of  a  special  step,  which  is  known  as  the 
"  Reftari  khiraman  "  :  their  poets  describe  it  as  the 

225  P 


The  Face  of  Russian   Turkestan      ch.  xx 

swaying  of  a  cypress  in  the  wind,  but  to  us  it  appears 
as  an  ungainly  waddle.  David  Cox  was  clever 
enough  to  make  the  dogs  bark  in  his  sketches,  but 
I,  alas,  cannot  make  my  man  waddle  ! 

The  law  of  Islam  prohibits  drunkenness,  but  "the 
number  of  beng  eaters  (beng  is  a  drug  made  from 
cannabis  Indica)  is  greatest  in  Bokhara  and  Khokand, 
and  it  is  no  exaggeration  to  say  that  three-fourths  of 
the  learned  and  official  world,  or  in  other  words  the 
whole  intelligent  class,  are  victims  to  this  vice.  The 
Government  looks  on  with  perfect  indifference  while 
hundreds,  nay  thousands,commit  suicide.  .  .  .  Thefew 
hints  we  have  thrown  out  are  sufficient  to  show  the 
abyss  of  crime  to  which  an  exaggerated  fanaticism 
degrades  mankind  "  (Vambery's  "  Travels  in  Central 
Asia").  Bokhara  is  still  the  same  to-day,  the  most 
fanatical  and  the  most  corrupt  city  in  Asia,  though 
outwardly  to  the  eye  of  the  casual  stranger  clothed 
with  the  respectability  that  its  European  masters 
exact. 

We  penetrated  into  the  bazaars,  but  they  offered 
no  special  features  of  interest,  Bokhara  having  like 
the  other  cities  of  Central  Asia  to  a  large  extent  lost 
its  ancient  skill  in  art.  The  silks  sold  in  it  are  made  in 
Moscow  mainly,  and  the  cottons  are  also  European. 
The  railway  and  the  protective  tariff  have  combined 
to  kill  the  old  trade  that  used  to  exist  between  Bokhara 
and  India,  passing  over  the  trade  route  through 
Afghanistan.  The  fine  architecture  all  belongs  to 
the  past.      One  of  the  mosques  was  ornamented  with 

226 


MOSQUE   AT    BOKHARA 


ch.  xx  Bokhara 

beautiful  designs  in  brickwork,  enhanced  by  a  fine 
note  of  colour  near  the  top  of  the  minarets  in  green 
tiles.  The  colour  ornamentation  of  the  mosques  is 
for  the  most  part  much  more  restrained  than  that  of 
Samarkand,  but  seen  in  the  midst  of  the  uniform  dust 
colour  of  its  sun-dried  bricks  it  is  the  more  effective. 
There  are  not  nearly  so  many  trees  as  at  Samarkand, 
though  outside  one  of  the  city  gates  we  found  a 
shady  road,  and  there  are  twelve  large  canals  in  the 
neighbourhood  to  supply  the  gardens  as  well  as  the 
ordinary  drinking  supply.  A  crowd  of  camels  was 
waiting  hard  by  ;  presumably  they  remain  outside  the 
city  because  the  streets  are  too  narrow  and  tortuous 
to  be  blocked  by  such  unwieldly  beasts.  There  was 
an  elevated  booth  on  the  other  side  of  the  gate  where 
the  gay  throng  seemed  to  be  engaged  in  the  acl:  of 
worship  and  pleasure  simultaneously  ;  but  the  fore- 
ground of  the  picture  was  filled  up  with  a  compact 
mass  of  graves,  looking  as  if  they  were  centuries  old. 

The  largest  building  in  the  city  is  the  mosque  of 
Kelan,  built  by  Tamerlane,  and  there  are  many  other 
mosques  varying  in  size  and  interest.  We  climbed 
up  to  the  roof  of  one  for  the  sake  of  the  view,  but  it 
was  not  much,  and  we  were  told  that  we  should  have 
gone  up  a  tower  for  the  purpose.  Almost  every 
minaret  is  surmounted  by  a  stork's  nest,  for  Bokhara 
is  noted  for  its  storks. 

As  we  came  away  we  saw  a  string  of  covered  carts 

with  gay  carpets  over  them  making  their  way  to  the 

station.     They  were  backed  up  to  a  siding,  where 

227 


The   Face  of  Russian    Turkestan      ch.  xx 

the  veiled  beauties  within  them  were  rapidly  trans- 
ferred to  second-class  carriages  away  from  the  public 
gaze.  Then  the  gay  coverings  were  folded  up  and 
put  in  the  luggage  van,  and  the  carriages  were  brought 
round  and  attached  to  our  train  ;  evidently  they  con- 
tained people  of  importance,  for  there  was  a  large 
crowd  of  natives  to  see  them  off,  and  on  reaching 
Kazan  their  carriages  were  again  detached  prepara- 
tory to  being  joined  to  the  express  as  soon  as  it 
arrived.  Many  Persians  are  to  be  found  throughout 
Turkestan  ;  the  railway  stations  are  crowded  with 
them,  and  our  Russian  Red  Cross  nurse  told  us  a 
charming  idyllic  story  which  I  cannot  forbear  repeat- 
ing, of  one  of  their  veiled  beauties  with  whom  she 
had  talked  on  her  journey.  The  Persian  lady  was  a 
princess  travelling  with  her  husband  on  their  honey- 
moon. The  husband  said  they  had  seen  one  another 
seven  years  ago  in  a  garden,  and  had  fallen  deeply  in 
love.  Owing  to  his  inferior  rank  the  princess's 
father  would  not  hear  of  their  marriage,  and  it  was 
only  after  seven  years  that  his  consent  was  at  last 
obtained.  "  She  is  not  beautiful  as  she  was  then,"  he 
continued,  but  there  was  a  look  of  great  tenderness  on 
both  their  faces,  showing  that  the  love  at  all  events 
had  not  diminished,  and  they  further  explained  that 
they  had  determined  to  have  a  European  honeymoon, 
and  were  now  on  their  travels.  Another  happy 
couple  whom  our  friend  met  was  guarded  by  the 
wife's  stalwart  brothers.      The  husband  and  wife  had 

been  married  nine  years  and  were  still  deeply  in  love, 

228 


ch.  xx  Bokhara 

but  they  were  very  sad  because  the  wife  (aged  twenty- 
one)  had  as  yet  no  son.  They  were  now  on  a  pilgrim- 
age to  pray  for  one,  as  the  husband  said  he  had  not 
taken  a  second  wife,  nor  did  he  wish  to  do  so,  "  but, 

of  course,  if  Providence  did  not  send  a  son ."     He 

repudiated  the  idea  that  as  a  Mohammedan  he  might 
be  expecled  to  have  four  wives  if  he  chose,  and  said 
he  was  very  fond  of  his  present  wife.  Certainly  the 
position  of  women  is  the  worst  evil  of  Mohammed- 
anism, taken  in  connection  with  Mohammed's  own 
history,  and  in  the  light  of  the  teaching  of  the 
Koran. 

It  might  have  been  hoped  that  Russian  influence 
would  have  had  some  effect  in  ameliorating  things  ; 
but  even  the  Russophile  Skrine  *  admits  that  it  has  had 
no  civilizing  influence  on  the  Khanate  of  Bokhara. 
Slavery,  tyranny,  and  barbarism  are  still  allowed  free 
scope,  in  order  that  theirdisintegrating  effect  may  the 
more  readily  place  it  under  Russian  dominion. 

1  See  "The  Heart  of  Asia  :  a  History  of  Russian  Turkestan  and  the 
Central  Asian  Khanates  from  the  Earliest  Times,"  by;F.  H.  Skrine  and 
E.  D.  Ross. 


229 


CHAPTER    XXI 

Through  the  Caucasus 

WE  left  Kazan  for  the  homeward  journey, 
intending  only  to  stop  at  Vienna  on  the 
way,  but  fate  decreed  otherwise.  The 
train  started  in  the  evening,  and  we  travelled  two 
nights  and  a  day  through  flat  country  to  the  Caspian 
Sea.  The  railway  through  Turkestan  runs  parallel 
first  with  the  Afghan  frontier — across  which  no 
Russian  dare  step  on  pain  of  his  life — and  then  parallel 
with  the  Persian  border.  The  mountains  of  Persia 
formed  a  beautiful  outline  against  the  stormy  sky  as 
we  passed  through  Askabad,  the  southernmost  point 
of  the  line,  and  when  the  rain  came  down  in  blinding 
torrents  we  watched  the  patient  camels  and  their 
drivers  on  the  plain,  behaving  as  if  completely  ob- 
livious of  the  storm.  Not  so  the  Cossack  on  his 
fiery  steed  ;  he  looked  as  if  possessed  by  the  storm 
demon,  tearing  across  the  plain  as  if  the  furies  were 
behind  him.  A  land  of  strange  contrasts — the  im- 
movable calm  of  the  East,  and,  vainly  beating  against 
it,  the  restless  West.  The  question  forces  itself 
irresistibly  upon  the  mind — which  will  conquer  ? 
The  sun  shone  brightly  next  morning  as  we  woke 

230 


-VL.  t     gi       ! 


/Iff 

f-;  ■!?,=! 


WML 

1     i     -   -■!■       1  -        \\ 

■      -  r-^i 


ch.  xxi        Through   the  Caucasus 

on  the  shores  of  the  Caspian  Sea,  and  it  looked  calm 
and  inviting,  so  different  from  the  description  of  his 
stormy  journey  given  by  Anthony  Jenkinson  in  the 
sixteenth  century.  He  says  :  "  This  sea  is  freshwater 
in  many  places,  and  in  other  places  as  salt  as  our  great 
Ocean.  It  hath  many  goodly  Rivers  falling  into  it, 
and  it  avoideth  not  itselfe  except  it  be  underground. 
During  the  time  of  our  Navigation  wee  set  up  the 
redde  crosse  of  S.  George  in  our  flagges,  for  honour  of 
the  Christians,  which  I  suppose  was  never  seen  in  the 
Caspian  Sea  before."  The  terminus  of  the  railway  line 
is  a  miserable  little  sun-baked  village  called  Krasno- 
vodsk,  with  only  one  imposing  edifice,  the  railway 
station.  We  took  our  things  at  once  to  the  boat, 
through  a  maze  of  railway  trucks  and  carriages,  and 
were  delighted  to  find  it  a  comfortable  little  steamer, 
with  a  Finnish  captain  who  had  served  long  on  English 
ships  and  looked  like  a  Scotchman.  There  was  a 
gigantic  sturgeon  lying  on  the  landing-stage,  and  he 
told  us  some  have  been  caught  in  the  Caspian  Sea 
weighing  two  tons.  Our  voyage  only  lasted  about 
thirteen  hours,  but  none  of  the  passengers  save  myself 
faced  dinner,  and  I  was  surprised  to  see  next  morning 
that  there  had  been  some  eight  or  nine  on  board. 
During  the  night  a  little  child  died,  so  there  was  a 
delay  while  the  health  officer  made  his  inquiry,  and 
we  were  all  duly  inspected. 

The  view  of  Baku,  although  seen  through  driving 
rain,  was  eminently  picturesque,  and  the  old  ruined 
maiden's  tower  (in  the  centre  of  my  sketch)  which 

231 


The  Face  of  Russian    Turkestan      ch.  xxi 

is  close  to  the  wharf  stands  up  boldly  from  amongst 
the  modern  buildings.  Forty  years  ago  Baku  was  a 
small  town  with  its  picturesque  eastern  quarter,  but 
now  it  is  a  city  boasting  more  than  a  quarter  of  a 
million  inhabitants,  as  cosmopolitan  as  a  seaport  on 
the  Mediterranean.  The  extraordinary  change  is  of 
course  due  to  the  discovery  of  oil,  which  has  brought 
wealth,  ugliness,  and  other  undesirable  things  to  the 
surrounding  country. 

The  country  round  Baku  is  hideous,  a  sort  of 
eruption  of  oil  derricks  covers  miles  of  it.  These  are 
pyramidal  buildings  like  square  mill  chimneys,  only 
considerably  thicker  at  the  base,  and  there  are  no 
less  than  2000  at  Balakhani  closely  packed  together. 
There  is  such  an  abundance  of  oil  that  in  many  parts 
it  is  only  necessary  to  make  a  hole  in  the  ground 
with  a  stick  and  a  jet  of  flame  will  rise  in  the  air. 
On  still  nights  it  is  possible  to  set  light  to  the  oil 
which  gathers  on  the  surface  of  the  sea.  No  wonder 
that  the  Parsees  worshipped  the  strange  fire,  and 
there  still  exists  a  curious  temple  at  a  place  called 
Surakhany,  about  half  a  day's  journey  from  Baku, 
where  the  so-called  "eternal  fires"  burn,  though  the 
last  worshippers  left  it  some  quarter  of  a  century 
ago.  The  modern  spirit  has  changed  it  into  a  profit- 
able petroleum  factory. 

The  town  is  evidently  well  worth  seeing,  but  the 
pitiless  rain  drove  us  to  the  Hotel  d'Europe,  and  we 
were   glad   to   resume    our  journey,   deciding  to   go 

round  by  Tiflis  instead  of  direct  from  Baku  to  Vienna. 

232 


• 


\ 


ch.  xxi        Through  the    Caucasus 

There  is  a  through  train  to  the  frontier,  Volochisk, 
which  takes  four  nights  and  three  days,  and  from 
thence  it  is  another  day  and  night  journey  to  Vienna. 
We  were  told  that  it  would  be  only  a  difference  of 
hours  if  we  took  the  other  route,  and  that  by  so 
doing  we  could  see  the  magnificent  pass  through  the 
Caucasus,  travelling  from  Tirlis  to  Vladi-Kavkaz  by 
public  automobile.  It  was  impossible  in  Baku  to 
ascertain  anything  definite  as  to  the  hours  of  starting 
or  arriving  of  the  automobile,  but  as  our  train  was 
due  at  6.30  a.m.  we  fondly  imagined  we  should  be 
in  time  to  catch  it.  Nothing  of  the  sort.  With 
Russian  perversity  it  started  in  connection  with  no 
train,  but  at  6  a.m.  We  could  hardly  regret  the 
delay,  however,  for  we  found  ourselves  in  such  com- 
fortable quarters  at  the  quiet  Hotel  de  Londres,  which 
had  been  recommended  to  us,  and  we  should  have 
appreciated  it  the  more  had  we  known  then  that 
they  were  the  last  beds  we  should  occupy  till  we 
reached  London  a  week  later. 

Tirlis  is  well  worth  a  visit  :  it  is  situated  on  the  lofty 
banks  of  a  tumultuous  river,  and  its  green  and  red  roofs, 
varied  by  the  gleaming  domes  of  the  churches,  are  most 
picturesque.  There  is  a  large  number  of  these,  and 
Tirlis  has  become  the  home  of  many  religious  refugees, 
for  in  order  to  stamp  out  heresy,  orthodox  Russia  exiles 
her  Baptists,  Stundists,  &c,  to  the  outlying  parts  of  the 
empire,  such  as  Siberia  and  the  Caucasus.  It  boasts 
a  fine  German  church,  also  a  Swedish  mission,  and 
a  depot  of  the  Bible  Society.     The  Swedish  mission- 

233 


The  Face  of  Russian   Turkestan     ch.  xxi 

aries  have  been  working  there  for  twenty-two  years, 
but  are  not  allowed  by  the  Government  to  have  any 
medical  or  educational  work,  which  greatly  limits  their 
usefulness.      It  is  hard  work,  but  bravely  done. 

Tirlis  is  noted  for  its  sulphur  baths,  and  attracts  many 
visitors  from  different  parts  of  Russia  on  that  account. 
After  a  drive  round  the  town  we  went  up  the  funicular 
railway,  and  from  the  summit  a  magnificent  panoramic 
view  is  to  be  had,  for  Tirlis  is  in  the  heart  of  the  moun- 
tains. The  ruins  of  the  old  walls  can  be  traced  on  the 
north  side  of  the  river,  and  the  old  Georgian  fortress, 
now  included  in  the  botanical  garden.  Tirlis  was 
founded  in  the  fifth  century,  and  became  the  capital  of 
the  Georgian  kingdom  in  the  beginning  of  the  sixth 
century.  It  fell  into  the  hands  of  Russia  in  I  80 1 ,  and 
the  feelings  of  the  Georgians  are  still  intensely  bitter 
after  a  century  of  foreign  rule.  It  is  a  cosmopolitan 
city,  and  Professor  Brugsch  estimates  that  seventy  lan- 
guages may  be  heard  in  it.  One  unusual  feature  of 
the  population  is  that  the  men  are  double  the  number 
of  the  women. 

At  5.30  next  morning  we  set  out  for  the  automobile 
and  secured  our  seats  ;  it  was  a  covered  car  to  seat  nine 
passengers,  but  we  were  only  six,  which  certainly  seemed 
a  sufficient  load  for  the  road  we  had  to  cover.  The 
earlier  part  of  the  way  we  sped  through  pretty  wooded 
country,  with  picturesque  villages  and  ruined  fortresses 
dotted  among  the  crags  on  either  side  of  the  road. 
They  were  not  so  numerous  as  to  punctuate  the  scenery 
in  the  way  they  do  on  the  Rhine,  but  just  to  remind 

234 


ch.  xxi        "Through   the   Caucasus 

one  that  this  was  the  Georgian  military  road  in  the  old 
days.  Our  chauffeur  was  a  good  one,  but  unfortu- 
nately his  hooter  was  as  hoarse  as  a  raven  and  not  even 
as  loud,  so  that  there  was  no  means  of  warning  the 
vehicles  ahead,  which  caused  constant  delay  on  the 
narrow  road.  Before  we  had  proceeded  far  we  saw  a 
comical  accident  owing  to  the  soft  condition  of  the 
road  ;  a  private  motor  car  on  one  side  and  a  cart  on  the 
other  had  each  sunk  deep  into  the  soil  in  trying  to 
avoid  one  another.  Fortunately  there  was  plenty  of 
assistance  at  hand,  for  the  cart  belonged  to  a  party  of 
emigrants,  and  soon  both  vehicles  were  dug  out  and 
pushed  on  to  solid  ground. 

The  day  was  beautiful,  and  the  scent  of  hawthorn, 
wild  roses  and  thyme,  yellow  azalea  and  lime-trees 
filled  the  air,  and  the  scenery  became  increasingly  wild 
and  beautiful.  After  three  hours'  drive  we  halted  for 
half-an-hour  near  a  town  on  the  outskirts  of  which 
musketry  practice  was  going  on,  then  we  began 
the  main  ascent  of  the  pass.  The  road  became  very 
steep,  and  the  air  cold  and  damp  as  we  zigzagged  up 
the  mountain.  There  were  brilliant  patches  of  king- 
cups, and  amongst  them  beautiful  tall  snowdrops  in 
great  profusion.  Instead  of  cultivated  land  there  were 
pastures  full  of  flocks  of  sheep  and  goats,  shepherded 
by  bright-looking  boys.  Of  all  the  passes  I  have  seen 
in  Europe  this  is  certainly  the  finest.  One  seems  to 
be  right  amongst  the  snow  fields,  and  the  road  some- 
times passes  between  high  walls  of  snow  or  through 
sheds  built  with  great  solidity.      We  stopped  one  hour 

235 


The  Face  of  Russian   Turkestan      ch.  xxi 

for  lunch  at  the  village  where  we  met  the  automobile 
going  the  reverse  way,  and  again  later  at  the  foot  of 
Mt.  Kasbec  for  another  half-hour.  Kasbec  is  16,546 
feet  in  height,  namely,  100  feet  higher  than  Mont 
Blanc.  On  its  slope  there  is  a  typical  Caucasian 
village,  as  seen  in  the  sketch.  From  the  time  when 
we  started  on  the  down-hill  road,  however,  we  lost  all 
pleasure  in  the  scenery.  Our  driver  suddenly  became 
utterly  reckless  under  the  influence  (as  we  learnt  later 
on)  of  pressure  brought  to  bear  on  him  by  one  of  the 
passengers,  who  wanted  to  arrive  early  at  Vladikavkaz. 
We  simply  dashed  down  the  road  and  round  corners, 
at  the  imminent  peril  of  our  necks,  scattering  horses 
and  carts  in  wild  confusion  into  the  ditch  or  up  banks 
to  what  seemed  to  be  certain  destruction.  Only  once 
did  the  chauffeur  stop,  on  the  demand  of  a  man  with  a 
rifle  ;  he  admitted  that  he  was  frightened,  for  not 
long  ago  the  auto  had  been  held  up  by  brigands.  It 
was  a  momentary  pause,  however,  and  we  dashed  on 
as  recklessly  as  before.  Finally  on  entering  the  town 
a  horse  took  fright  and  dragged  its  cart  into  the  ditch, 
overturning  it  completely,  but  the  chauffeur  merely 
smiled  and  drove  on.  How  thankful  we  were  to  draw 
up  safely  at  last  at  the  Grand  Hotel  at  Vladikavkaz  at 
6  p.m.  We  had  some  hours  to  spare  before  our  train 
started,  so  we  made  our  way  to  the  telegraph  office  in 
order  to  wire  home.  The  polite  clerk,  in  answer  to  our 
inquiry,  said  that  it  took  much  less  time  to  telegraph 
to  England  than  to  any  place  in  Russia,  and  that  it 
would  probably  be  delivered  in  London  in  an  hour's 

236 


ttfihpm 


■<':': 


fj 


MOUNT   KASBEC 


ch.  xxi         Through   the   Caucasus 

time  ;  in  point  of  facl,  the  telegram  was  never  delivered 
at  all.  German  we  found  the  foreign  language  best 
understood  in  Russia,  and  for  the  benefit  of  inexperi- 
enced travellers  I  will  conclude  my  volume  with  a 
brief  account  of  our  crossing  the  frontier. 

At  Tiflis  we  gave  up  our  passports  (according  to 
regulation)  to  the  hotel-keeper,  stating  where  we  had 
come  from  and  our  next  halting  place,  namely  Vienna. 
The  police  have  to  put  their  official  signatures  on  the 
passport  wherever  you  stop  on  Russian  soil,  but  also  in 
addition  something  further  when  you  wish  to  leave  the 
country,  and  every  time  the  passport  is  vise-ed  the 
traveller  has  to  pay.  We  presumed  that  this  had  been 
properly  done  at  Tiflis,  having  paid  for  it,  but  when 
we  reached  Volochisk  and  the  officials  came  for  all  the 
passengers'  passports,  they  looked  at  ours  and  returned 
them  to  us  in  a  rough,  surly  way,  saying  something  that 
we  could  not  understand,  instead  of  carrying  them  off 
with  the  others.  Every  one  was  locked  up  in  the  train, 
and  in  due  course  of  time  the  officials  returned  with 
the  passports  and  gave  them  back  to  their  owners. 
They  pointed  us  to  the  door,  and  proceeded  to  put  our 
luggage  out.  A  lady  from  an  adjoining  carriage  came 
and  explained  the  situation ;  the  passports  had  not  been 
properly  signed  for  leaving  the  country,  and  we  should 
have  to  telegraph  to  the  police  at  Tiflis  before  we 
should  be  allowed  to  leave.  "  How  long  will  it  take  ? " 
we  asked  in  dismay.  "  Oh  !  not  more  than  three  or 
four  days  !  "  We  inquired  if  there  was  no  method  of 
tipping  by  which  we  could  escape  such  a  dismal  pros- 

237 


The  Face  of  Russian   Turkesta7i      ch.  xxi 

peel,  but  she  was  emphatic  in  denying  it.  She  sug- 
gested, however,  that  by  treble  payment  we  could  send 
a  quick  telegram  instead  of  a  slow  one,  and  she  got  her 
husband  to  go  and  explain  our  sad  condition  to  the 
officer  in  charge  of  the  station.  He  was  fortunately 
able  to  speak  a  little  German,  and  he  ordered  an  un- 
derling to  go  and  write  the  necessary  telegram  to  the 
police  at  Tiflis.  The  little  colonel  was  in  full  regi- 
mentals, and  wore  spurs,  and  the  station  had  a  military 
guard  ;  he  had  to  be  there  on  arrival  of  every  train 
apparently,  and  acted  as  stationmaster.  He  reassured 
us  by  saying  that  we  might  hope  for  an  answer  in  the 
course  of  the  afternoon  (it  was  now  about  ten  in  the 
morning),  in  which  case  we  could  take  the  evening 
train  to  Vienna.  We  had  the  melancholy  satisfaction 
of  finding  that  we  were  not  the  only  people  whose 
passports  were  unsatisfactory  ;  in  fact  no  one  seemed 
surprised  about  it  except  ourselves.  We  tried  to 
beguile  the  weary  hours  by  watching  the  custom-house 
officials  enjoying  themselves  over  the  parcel  post  ;  a 
number  of  muslin  dress  lengths  were  unpacked  and 
inspected,  as  well  as  sundry  other  things.  The 
restaurant  was  a  source  of  amusement  as  well  as  com- 
fort to  us,  and  was  far  superior  to  an  English  one  at 
a  similar  station.  At  long  intervals  trains  arrived,  and 
we  visited  the  telegraph  office  from  time  to  time. 

We  studied  the  "  toilette "  that  went  on  in  the 
ladies'  waiting-room,  and  when  night  came  and  still 
no  answer,  we  debated  what  to  do  next.     At  9.30 

we  saw  our  hopes  of  a  comfortable  bed  next  night 

238 


ch.  xxi         Through  the  Caucasus 

disappear,  but  we  still  felt  it  would  be  well  to  leave 
at  2.30  a.m.  if  fate  permitted.  The  "  hotel,"  a  small 
cottage  within  sight  of  the  station,  we  did  not  fancy, 
so  we  resigned  ourselves  to  the  small  rest  obtainable 
on  a  wooden  bench  and  the  window  ledge.  Every 
time  a  train  arrived  the  colonel  appeared  also,  and  I 
fear  he  got  rather  tired  of  our  polite  request  for  in- 
formation ;  the  importunate  widow  would  have  had 
no  chance  with  him.  What  an  extraordinary  occu- 
pation for  an  officer  ;  but  he  sought  to  beguile  the 
time  by  hob-nobbing  with  the  large  staff  of  employees 
who,  doubtless  for  an  absurdly  small  wage,  spend 
most  of  the  twenty-four  hours  loafing  about  the 
railway. 

At  last  the  night  ended,  and  we  saw  with  pity  a 
group  of  emigrants  trying  to  breakfast  under  a  dull 
drizzling  sky  opposite  the  station.  A  friendly  porter 
gave  us  the  news  we  were  longing  for — a  telegram  had 
arrived.  No  words  can  express  our  delight,  for  we 
seemed  to  know  every  stone  of  that  railway  platform, 
and  we  rushed  to  the  office  to  demand  our  passports, 
of  which  the  officials  had  taken  possession.  Our  de- 
tention had  lasted  twenty-four  hours,  and  as  we  shook 
the  dust  from  our  feet  we  failed  not  to  be  thankful  for 
the  Providence  which  caused  us  to  be  citizens  of 
a  land  of  liberty  instead  of  tyranny.  It  is  only  in 
Russia  that  one  thoroughly  realises  it  ;  and  the  irk- 
someness  of  it  becomes  intolerable.  "  Implicit  obedi- 
ence, silent  subjection,  and  the  irresistible  power  of 
despotism  are  here  brought  home  effectively  to  the 

239 


The  Face  of  Russian   Turkestati      ch.  xxi 

stranger.       But    this    impression    remains    with    the 
traveller  throughout  the  entire  journey — 

1  Be  silent ;  keep  yourselves  in  curb — 
We  are  watched  in  look  and  word.' 

An   Empire  of  one  hundred  and  thirty  millions  of 
prisoners  and  of  one  million  gaolers — such  is  Russia." 


240 


INDEX 


^BDULLAH,  190 
Afforestation,  177 
Afghanistan,  226,  230 
Agriculture  in  Korea,  125 

in  Siberia,  173 
Alexander  the  Great,  203 
American  Missions,  68,  80 
Amir  of  Bokhara,  201,  203,  221 
Amu  Daria,  183 
Amur  region,  158 
Ancestor  worship,  70,  86 
Angara  River,  155 
An-san,  103 
Antung,  58,  61,  73 
Aphrosiab,  219 
Arabian  Invasion,  Turkestan, 223 

Mohammedanism,  223 
Aral  Sea,  174,  175 
Arctic  Ocean,  162,  163 
Arithmetic,  38 
Arnold,  223 

Asceticism,  Mohammedan,  224 
Ashekhabat,  160 
Ashiho,  Ch.  xiii. 
Askabad,  230 

Astor  House,  Moukden,  3 1 
Australasia,  38 

Australian  Presbyterians,  79,  108 
Azerbijana,  198 

gABER,  195 

Baghdad,  195 
Baikal,  Lake,  154,  159,  162 
Bajazet,  Sultan,  200 


24 


Baku,  231-233 
Balak  Nani,  223 
Balkh,  223 
Baltic  fleet,  1 12 
Baptists,  233 
Baths,  Chinese,  142 

Sulphur,  234 
Bazaars,  185,  214,  226 
Behren,  22 
Beng,  226 
Bibi  Khanum,  209-213 

Little,  210,  213 
Bible  Society,  B.   and    F.,   161, 
173,  174,222,233 

Study,  38,  75,  77,  82 

Women,  77,  143 
Black  Sea,  169,  174 
Blanc,  Edouard,  191,  218 
Blanc,  Mont,  236 
Blind,  49,  81 
Bokhara,    Ch.    xx.,     176,     183, 

201,  208,  215,  218 
Boxers,  22,  23 
Braille,  81 
Bronzes,  21,  22 
Broussa,  201 
Browning,  175 

Brugniere,  Monseigneur,  89,  90 
Brugsch,  234 
Buddhism,  45,  70 
Buddhists,  48,  49,  57,  159 
Buriats,  159-162 
Burkans,  160 
Bushnell,  21 
1  Q 


Indt 


QAMELS,  214,  227 

Cano,    Empress,    198, 
209-213 
Capus,  172,  182 
Carpets,  209,  217 
Carts  in  Turkestan,  18 1 
Caspian  Sea,  175,  231 
Catherine  of  Russia,  223 
Caucasus,  Ch.  xxi. 
Chang  Chun,  8 
Chang  Shan,  47,  51 
Cheliabinsk,  166 
Chemkend,  183 
Chemulpo,  134-137 
Chiao,  Mr.,   67,   114,    122, 

.   J33,  /77 

Child  burial,  42,  43 

"Chinese  Art,"  21 

generosity,  25,  27 

industry,  125 

windows,  10 1 

writing,  63,  68,  121,  124 
Ching  dynasty,  18 
Christie,  Dr.,  23,  26 
Church,  Chemulpo,  136 

Liao     Yang,     40,     Ch. 
56 

Moukden,  22 

Pyong  Yang,  74-77 

Tiflis,  233 
Citadel  of  Samarkand,  201, 
Clavijo,  195,  197,  199,  210 
College,  Union,  78,  79 
Colonisation,  Manchuria,  6, 

Siberia,  158 
Colporteurs,  173,  174 
Commercial  college,  55 
Concessions,  timber,  73 

mining,  61 
Confucianism,  70,  77 


'99. 


13c, 


203 


34 


ex 

Conference,    Edinburgh    World 

Missionary,  50,  80 
Constantinople,  186 
Consul,  English,  17,  20,  141 
Convicts,  155,  158 
Cossacks,  165,  230 
Court  life,  Korea,  96-101 
Crops  in  Manchuria,  7,  45 

Korea,  107 
Crown  Prince,  Korea,  98-99 

Princess,  99 
Crypt,  Tamerlane's  Tomb,  192 
Currency,  33,  40,  213 
Custom-house,  151,  152,  238 
Curtin,  Jeremiah,  1 59-162 

£)ALLET,  Pere,  92 
Dalny,  1 3 8- 1 40 
Steamer  to,  134,  135 
Damascus,  200 
Danish  Lutheran  Mission,  27 
Daveluy,  91 
"  Deer's  horns,"  22,  29 
Delhi,  195,  196 
Diamond  Mountains,  Ch.  xii. 
Dnieper  River,  174 
Don  River,  174 
Doolittle,  31 
Durrieux,  212 

J?  ARMUFFS,  5,  26 

Education,  Korea,  53,  61, 
79,  81,  128,  129 
Manchuria,  28,  37,  38 
Medical,  27 
Moslem,   145,   204-208,  223, 

224 
Russian,  164,  165,  182,  206 
Siberia,  162,  164 
Theological,  Korea,  79 


242 


Index 


Elephants,  198 
Elms,  178,  215 
Emperor,  late  Chinese,  23 

Korean,  73,  96-100,  102 
Empress  Cano,  1 98-200, 209-2 1 3 

late  Dowager,  China,  23 

Min,  Korea,  98-102 
Emigrants,  Chinese,  34 
English  language,  140 
Eunuchs,  97,  99,  101 
Execution,  144,  208 
Exiles,  233 

"  pACE  of  Korea,"  65-148 

Fauvelle,  212 
Flowers,  Caucasus,  235 

Korea,  107,  117,  123 

Manchuria,  52 
Foo  Ling  tombs,  12,  16-19 
Fox  temples,  31,  32,  45 
Fusan,  Ch.  xi. 

QALE,  Dr.,  103 

Genghiz    Khan,    145,    194, 
195,  204 
Geography,  38 
Georgians,  234,  235 
German  Church,  233 

language,  140,  188,  237 
Giggies,  67 

"  Gluttonous  Place,"  208 
Gold  mining,  63,  156 
Grain  market,  213 
Gur  Amir,  189-192 

J-JAZRET,  175 

Hazreti  Shah  Zindch,  215- 
217 
Hazreti  Timur  mosque,  175 
"  Heart  of  Asia,"  229 


Hell,  Temple  of,  32,  48 

Herbelot,  205 

Hingking,  12 

Hissar,  214 

Histoire  de  T ' Eglise  de  Koree^  84 

Holden,  195 

"Home  of  Tamerlane,"  Ch.xviii. 

Horse  sacrifice,  160 

Hospitals  :   Hsin  Muntun,  34,  35 

Chemulpo,  136,  137 

Liao  Yang,  48 

Moukden,  23-28 
Hotels  :  Astor  House,  Moukden, 

31 

Commercial,  Kazan,  220 

d'Europe,  Kazan,  220 
Baku,  232 

de  France,  Tashkent,  178 

Grand,  Samarkand,  188 
Vladikavkaz,  236 

Londres,  Tiflis,  233 

Russian,  Kharbin,  3 

Yamato,  Kwan-cheng-tze,  8 
Hsin  Muntun,  25,  Ch.  hi. 
Hulan,  Ch.  i.,  142 
"Hunger  Desert,"  188 

JMMIGRANTS,  174 

India,  194-196,  198,  226 
International  Sleeping  Car,  148, 

152 
Invocation,  Buriat,  160,  161 
Iranian,  184 
Irish  Presbyterian,  27 
Irkutsk,  155-157,  164 
Irtish  River,  164 
Ishan,  224 

Islam,  194, 196,218,222,224,226 
Ito,  Prince,  106 
Ivan  the  Terrible,  194 


243 


Indi 


JADE,  21,  191 
Jagatai,  185 
Japanese  banks,  104,  105,  138 
inns,  60,  61 
occupation  of  Korea,  105 

of  Dalny,  138,  139 
officers,  59,  107,  131 
steamers,  in,  134,  137 
trade,  139 
traveller,  59,  60 
war,  Korea,  85 
Russia,  42,  43,  73 
Jaxartes,  175 
Jenkinson,  231 
Jesuits,  85,  146 
Jews,  145,  I56 

"Journey  in  Southern  Siberia," 
161 


J^AABA,  216 

Karagatch,  215 
Kasbec,  Mount,  236 
Katholische  Missions  Statistik^  92 
Kazan,  176,  220,  221,  228 
Kelan,  227 
Keuk  Tash,  201 
Kharbin,  3,4,57,  141,  148,  167, 

178 
Khiva,  122,  183 
Khojend,  183,  185 
Khokand,  183,  226 
Khorasan,  194 
Ki  Cha,  68,  71,  72 
Kil  Moksa,  77,  78 
Kim,  Andre,  91 
Kinel,  167-169 
Kirghiz,  165,  172,  175 

Steppes,  172 
Kitchener,  45 
Kite-flying,  46 


ex 

Kobdo,  163 

Koran,  189,  206,  212,  216,  225, 

229 
Korea,  history,  72,  73 

population,  62,  63 

size,  62 

war  with  China,  73 
Japan,  85 
Korean  education,    63,   79,    81, 
128,  129 

dress,  71,  76,  94,  96,  IOO 

gate,  Liao  Yang,  42,  43 

generosity,  80,  83 

hats,  69 

official  life,  96,  97 

products,  63,  107 

script,  63 

shops,  68 

"Sketches,"  103 

water-carriers,  69 
Krasnojarsk,  162 
Krasnovodsk,  231 
Kropatkin,  164,  184 
Krose,  92 
Kufic,  190 
Kurgan,  166 
"  Kuropatkin's  Eye,"  44 
Kwan-cheng-tze,  6,  40 

["   AND  nationalisation,  157,158 

Li  Dsuchung,  13 
Liao  Tong,  42,  138 
Liao  Yang,  12,  40,  Ch.  iv. 
Lobanoff,  73 

Long  White  Mountains,  23 
Louis,  Saint,  197 

JyfADRESSAH,  187,  223 

Bibi     Khanum,     209-213, 
216 


244 


Index 


El  Azhar,  223 

Ishrak  Khaneh,  219 

Khodja  Akhrar,  219 

Shir  Dar,  207 

Tilla  Kari,  204,  208,  209 

Timur  Malik,  219 

Uleg  Beg,  204-207 
Manchester,  214 
Manchus,  The,  1 1  — 1 5,  42 
Manchu  dress,  14,  36 

dynasty,  11,  12,  14,  43 

history,  1 1— 1 5 

inns,  52 

marriage,  15 

policy,  1 3 
Manchuria  town,  3 
"  Manchuria's     Strategic     Rail- 
way," 59 
Medical     Missions,     23-28,    48, 

142,  143 
assistants,  26,  48,  137 
training  college,  26,  27 

Medicines,  Chinese,  46,  47 

Merv,  222 

Mesnevi,  245 

Methodist  Episcopal,  80 

Ming  dynasty,  13,  20 
tombs,  19,  20 

Mining  concessions,  63 

Mission,  American  Methodist 
Episcopal,  80,  81 
American  Presbyterian,  79 
Australian  Presbyterian,  7  9, 1 08 
Canadian  Presbyterian,  79 
Danish  Lutheran,  27 
Greek  Orthodox  Church,  161, 

165,  222 
Irish  Presbyterian,  29,  36-39 
Scotch  Presbyterian  7,  27,  48, 
50 


Roman   Catholic,  64,  Ch.  x., 

104,  136 
Salvation  Army,  104 
Swedish  Mission,  221,  233 
Society    for    the    Propagation 

of    the    Gospel,    89,     136, 

lV 
"  Missions  Etrangeres,"  89 

Mistletoe,  18,  19 

Moffett,  Dr.,  79 

"MogulEmperors  of  Hindustan," 

195 
Mohammedan      mosques,      145, 
185,  186,  219,  226,  227 
schools,  145,  187,  204-208 
Mohammedanism,    China,    145, 
146 
Bokhara,  223,  224,  229 
Siberia,  165,  166,  171 
Turkestan,     185,    186,    206, 
225,  226,  229 
Monasteries,  52,  53,  57,  121 
Mongol  customs,  160 
empire,  195 
raids,  194,  223 
Monks,  53,  56,  57,  120-122 
Moscow,  214,  226 
Moukden,  Ch.  ii.,  58 
Mullah,  191,  206,  215,  224 
Museums,  22,  60 


JsJADIR  Shah,  191 

Naval  commission,  26 
battle,  112,  136 
Nestorian  Church,  222 
Newchwang,  25,  55 
New  Hebrides,  109 
Nippon  Yusen  Kaisha,  137 
Noorhachu,  11,  12,  18 


'■AS 


Indt 


QFFICERS,  Japanese,  59, 107, 
123,  124,  131 
Russian,  238,  239 
Oil  fields,  232 
Omsk,  164 
Ongons,  159 
Orenburg  166,  171 
Orthodox  Church,  161,  165,  222 
Othman,  212 
Oxus  River,  183 
Oyama,  General,  25 

OAILOW,  19 

Palace,  Moukden,  20-22 

Samarkand,  211-213,215,  216 

Seoul,  93-102 
Parsees,  232 
Passports,  237,  239 
Peasants,  Russian,  172,  173 
Pedlars,  Korean,  129 
Peking,  13-15,  19,  43>  l68 
Permits,  176 
Persians,  185,  201,  209,  228 

architecture,  189,  1 90,  198 
Petropavlosk,  165 
Pichtack,  205 
Piek-i,  85,  86 
Pioneer  Point,  71 
Police,  Russian,  176,  237-239 
Poplars,  178,  215 
Population,  Korea,  62,  63 

Siberia,  157,  158 

Tashkent,  181 

Tiflis,  234 
Porcelain,  21,  22 
Port  Nicolas,  73 
"Preaching  of  Islam,"  223 
Presbyterians,  7,  27,  34-37,  79, 

108 
Prisons,  88,  155,  224 


ex 

Protestant  Missions,  64,  73 

Psalm  reader,  165 

Pyong  Yang,  62,  Ch.  vii.,  viii. 

RALEIGH,  Sir  Walter,  21 
Railway,  Japanese,  8,  40,  51, 
Ch.   vi.,    105,   107,    108, 

135 
Russian,  8,  167,  173,  174,  220 

South  Manchurian,  34,  35 

Trans-Siberian,  Ch.  xv. 

International    Sleeping   Car 
Co.,  152,  153,  157 

Russian  State  Express,  152, 

153.  T57>  l66 
Red  Cross,  25,  174,  222 
Reftari  khiraman,  225 
Refugees,  Moukden,  24 
Reis,  224 

Remedios,  Jean  dos,  87 
Righistan,  204,  212 
Ritual  worship,  21 
Roman    Catholics,   64,   Ch.   ix., 

104 
Ross,  Dr.,  13 
Rubruquis,  de,  1 97-199 
Russians,   203,    217,    221,    229, 

230 
occupation  (Moukden),  23 
police,  176,  237-239 
Russo-Japanese  war,  42,  73,  136 

CACRF.E  Congregation  de  la 

Propagande,  89 
Said,  Mir  Berke,  191 
Samanids,  204 
Samara,  167 
Samarkand,    183,   187,  Ch.  xix., 

222 
la  blen  gar  die,  212,  2l8 


246 


Index 


Sarts,  184,  202,  203,  206,  218 
Schools,  37,   38,  81,    129,  145, 

164,  187,  204-208 
Seminary,  Paris,  92 
Senghouni,  85,  86 
Seoul,  Ch.  x.,  131,  132,  134,  135 
"Seven  Hates,"  11,12 
Shahr-i-Sabz,  193 
Shamanism,  70,  159 
Sheep,  Kirghiz  Steppes,  172 
Shimonoseki,  no 
Shinto,  no 

Shops,  16,  68,  69,  180,  214 
Siberia,  154-170 

climate,  154 

crops,  159 

land  tenure,  158 

missions,  165 

native  inhabitants,  159,  165 

population,  157,  158,  162 

size,  158 

trade,  156 
Silks,  210,  214 
Skrine,  229 
Slavery,  225,  229 
Smith,  Dr.  Arthur,  43  note 
"  Social    Life    of   the   Chinese," 

.  31 

Society  for   the    Propagation    of 

the  Gospel,   104,  136,   137 
Songdo,  81 

South  Kensington  Museum,  22 
Storks,  184,  227 
Stundists,  233 
Sulphur  baths,  234 
Sungari  River,  3,  5 
Sunnites,  224 
Surakhany,  232 
Swedish  Mission,  221,  233 
Syr  Daria,  175,  200 


"pAIDSOO,  12 
Taiga,  164 

Tamerlane,  175,  Ch.  xviii.,  201, 
204 

Tang  Shan,  25 

Taoist  temple,  54 

Tartars,  162 

Tashkent,    168,    170,    176,   Ch. 
xvii.,  203,  206 

Ta-tsing,  13 

"  Ten  Parts  Imperfect  One,"  48 

Teragai,  193 

Tide,  Korea,  1 12 

Tientsin,  91 

Tiflis,  232-234 

Time-table,  169 

Tobolsk,  165 

Tombs,  Daniel's,  217,  218 
Korean,  71,  102-104 
Ming,  13,  19,  20 
Moukden,  12,  16-19,  28-30 
Shah  Zindeh's,  215,  216 
Tamerlane's,  189-193 

Tomsk,  163,  164,  174 

Tonghak,  73 

Toprach,  219 

Tortoise,  19 

Trans-Baikal,  154 

Translation  Society,  162 

Trans-Siberian  Railway,  Ch.  xv. 

Travel  hints,  132,  133,  152,  153, 

237   . 
'•  Travels  in  Central  Asia,"  226 

Tschagu  Tschiendogu,  120 

Tschang  Do,  125 

Tsiou,  87,  88 

Turanians,  223 

"Turkestan,  Into,"  Ch.  xvi. 

history,  183 

town,  175 


247 


Index 


Turks,  200 
Tycho  Brahe,  205 
Tyenaga,  57 

•[JHER,  160 

Uleg  Beg,  204,  205 
Union   Medical  College,  Mouk- 

den,  27 
Union     Theological     Seminary, 

.  78>  79 
United  Free  Church  of  Scotland, 

27 
Un  Mun,  61 
Usturdi,  160,  161 
Uzbegs,  175,  185 

yAMBERY,  190,  223,  225 
Vienna,  169,  232,  233 

Vladivostock,  146,  162,  166 

Volga,  174 

Volochisk,  233,  237-239 

"  Voyage    of   Friar   William   de 
Rubruq  uis,"  198 

^yAGONSLits,  183 

War  god,  70 
Water  carriers,  70 
Watering  roads,  183,  184 


Waterproofs,  131 

Waterworks,  Japanese,  70 

Westwater,  Dr.,  46 

White  Sea,  174 

Wiju,  59 

Wolff,  224 

Woman,  186 

Women's  Mission  Work,  27,  28, 

77,   H2-I44,  222 
Wonsan,  108,  1 11 

X-RAYS,  25 

Xavier,  Francis,  146 

yALU  River,  59 
Yamaga,  73 

Yamato  Hotel,  Dalny,  138 
Kwan-cheng-tze,  6 

Yenisei  River,  162,  163 

Young,  Dr.,  17 

Young  Men's  Christian  Associa- 
tion, 104,  132 

Yun,  Hon.  T.  H.,  61 

^ENEDJIN'S  Tomb,  184 
Zenghiata's  Tomb,  184 
Zoological  Gardens,  104 


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